Trustworthy?
by Madd Kougar
Summary: Gibbs is charged by the CIA with finding out how trustworthy Alex really is. Will Gibbs decide to send Alex on to a mission the likes of which he's never seen before? Or will he decide that Alex is dangerous and unprepared for the awaiting challenges...
1. Human Bunnies

**Chapter One:**

**Human Bunnies**

* * *

"Gibbs! CIA's here to talk to you!" Tony called after Gibbs as he walked without stopping. "They're waiting in the director's office..." he finally trailed off as Gibbs bounded up the flight of stairs.

"I guess he already knows..." McGee stated, his eyes never leaving the complicated work on his computer screen.

"It would appear so." Ziva said and went back to checking her email.

Tony glanced around at his team mates. "Doesn't anyone but me want to know what the heck is going on up there?" he demanded, annoyed with two of his closest co-workers. Tony's eyes darting back and forth between McGee and Ziva's faces, impatiently waiting for their answer to his question.

"No." They both replied at the exact same time.

"Well then fine!" Tony declared. "I'll just find out on my own!"

Jumping to his feet, Tony took off towards the stairs angrily.

McGee and Ziva glanced up and their eyes met. A split second later they too had jumped to their feet and were racing after Tony who was following Gibbs to the director's office.

* * *

"Are you Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" asked a bald man with otherwise non-descript features.

"What is this about?" Gibbs asked as the man glanced over at Director Vance who was nodding a go ahead.

"The CIA has a mission for you Gibbs." Director Vance said cautiously, aware Gibbs wouldn't be happy with this news.

"I'm busy." Gibbs replied, eyeing the file the bald man clenched tightly between his big, meaty hands.

"That's just too bad." The little bald man sneered.

Stepping out from around his desk and shooting the bald man a silencing glare, Director Vance spoke. "You're on the case." There was no room for argument in his tone.

"What's the case?" Gibbs asked after a long moment where he once again eyed the bald man from head to toe.

"His name is Max Payton. We need to know how trustworthy his is before we place him in his next mission." The bald man said slowly, hesitantly.

After an awkward moment of silence, he withdrew a picture from the file and handed it to Gibbs.

Instead of glancing at the photo, Gibbs pointedly eyed the door and then the bald man.

Rolling his eyes and biting back cuss words, the man flung the file down on Vance's desk and stomped out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked close, Gibbs turned to face Vance.

"What is this all about?"

"There is more to it than you realize right now. If you'll allow him to explain…"

Gibbs nodded and stepped towards the door.

Vance frowned and opened his mouth to call him back when Gibbs decided to speak.

"Fine. But my team hears this too." And with that he flung to door office open. Tony, Ziva, and McGee stumbled inside.

"Hey boss!" Tony cried with a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here!"

* * *

Gibbs moved his team to the conference room where the bald man stood, waiting for them with a tapping foot.

"Floor's all yours." Gibbs said and waved his hand for the bald man to begin.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw, the bald man counted to ten before speaking. "Max Payton," He handed out pictures to each of the team. "Is with the highest form of MI6, Special Operations. What we fondly refer to as Human Bunnies." He let this hang in the air for a moment before going on. "The agents in this division are the best trained and cut from the finest cloth. Unfortunately, they also have the highest death rate of any country's government intelligence agencies. On average, the agents in his division only live about three to four years once they join."

"Does that four years include training?" Ziva asked, eyeing the photo in her hands.

"The four year average does not include any training the agents receive beforehand." When no more questions were asked, the bald man went on. "The heads of MI6's Special Operations branch have always had to be brought in from another division of MI5 since none of the Human Bunnies ever seem to live long enough to be capable of being in charge." The man continued without pause, leaving barely enough time for the team to digest what he was saying. "Max is an agent. He has been an agent for almost three years. MI6 has decided that they want to keep him around no matter what they have to do, which is why they've loaned him to us."

"But?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"But, the CIA isn't sure we can trust him with the mission he has been given. We have worked with him before, of course."

"Of course." Gibbs muttered.

"But never on a mission like this one." The bald man continued, acknowledging Gibbs' comment with a glare.

"Basically, you want us to determine just how far your trust in him can go." Tony said, uncrossing his arms and laying them on the table in front of himself.

"Basically? Yes." The bald man replied stoutly, not bothering to decorate the team's assigment.

* * *

"Gibbs are we really going to do this?" Ziva asked back in the bullpen, staring at Gibbs as if she could somehow read his mind if she looked long and hard enough.

"Yes. You are." Vance said from in between McGee and Gibbs' desks.

"Well in that case... when does the Brit get here?" Tony asked with a smile and a very fake British accent.

"His plane arrives in twenty minutes." Vance said.

"So he won't be arriving here at NCIS until tomorrow morning. Go home." Gibbs glanced at the director. "If that's alright with you, Leon." He asked sarcastically before heading towards the elevator that dinged open, almost magically, as soon as Gibbs was within two feet of its doors.

The steel doors slid open and Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs all stepped inside; already contemplating the events of tomorrow silently in their heads.

* * *

"I hope your bosses know what they're doing. Gibbs isn't a man to should mess with." Vance said, watching the numbers above the elevator decrease.

"Well, I hope your man is up to the challenges this boy will present." The bald man replied smoothly, without pausing to think before speaking.

"Boy?" Vance demanded, rearing back and sending a harsh, questioning look in the bald man's direction.

"Sorry, younger man. Rest assured that Max Payton is no innocent child, Director Vance." And with those final words the bald man placed a hat on his head and turned to leave.

"Dear lord, what have I gotten Gibbs into?" Vance asked, staring up at the ceiling.


	2. Switch Doctors

**Chapter Two:**

**Switch Doctors**

* * *

Alex's plane was late. Not terribly late, just late.

He arrived at eleven o'clock in Washington D.C. instead of nine-thirty. There was no welcome other than a man with a NCIS badge and a cardboards sign that said _Max Payton_.

Alex hated his "new name." It reminded him of a fellow high school student…a bully…a boy that dropped out of school just because it wasn't 'fun' enough for him.

Alex hated Max Stransford. The other boy had quit the one thing Alex would give anything to continue.

Pointedly ignoring the NCIS man with the sign, Alex caught a taxi to the hotel NCIS had booked for him.

* * *

Gibbs arrived at the bullpen at six forty-five, fifteen minutes early.

Ziva arrived at her desk at exactly seven o' two and apologized for being late.

McGee strolled in at seven thirty with a silly grin on his face. Gibbs just smiled, knowing that Timmy's new girlfriend had put that smile there.

Tony dragged himself up the stairs at a quarter to eight, no excuse ready, just black circles under his half-closed eyes.

"Where you been DiNozzo?" Gibbs questioned, preparing to dish out a head slap to the last member of the team to arrive.

"My apartment's power got turned off last night, by accident!" Tony added when McGee grinned. "So my alarm didn't go off this morning and I didn't have any hot water to show with." Tony said, his superior tone directed at McGee. Underneath the snotty voice, Tony was actually gearing up for the smack he expected from Gibbs.

Gibbs shook his head and returned to his seat, not before sending McGee a look.

"Right…" McGee declared after interpreting the look. "I'll go get the coffee." He raced out the door without taking orders. Not that he needed them; Gibbs and Ziva drank the same thing every day and Tony would drink anything with sugar in it.

"When is the Human Bunny going to be here?" Tony asked, rubbing the back of his head from the imaginary pain he'd created from thinking about Gibbs slapping him.

"He's already here." Director Vance said from above. "Conference room three." With that, he disappeared back into his office.

"Where're going to wait for McGee." Gibbs said as Tony and Ziva made moves to stand.

Gibbs flicked open his newspaper and slid a pair of reading glasses onto his nose.

Tony and Ziva shared an uneasy look before sitting back down to wait for their coffee.

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" a chipper young blonde asked Alex…make that Max.

"No thank you. I am contented." He said, not liking the sound of his voice without its familiar lilting accent. The non-geographical drawl that was coming out of his mouth was unfamiliar and despite all of his practicing, his voice seemed foreign and elusive.

Alex looked down at his watch, the one Smithers had given him. If he pressed his thumb against the glass sheet long enough the entire case would pop free of the wrist band and then could be attached to any surface and would then explode in eleven seconds, and no, he didn't know why it wasn't ten instead of eleven. The watch band itself contained a tracking device, rappelling wires, and attachable sheets that once placed on a wall transmitted heat signatures in whatever room it had been left in back to Alex's laptop computer.

There were several other gadgets that Smithers had given Alex, like the voice recording tie and the pen that…well…you get the point.

Alex smiled, remembering in the look on Smithers face when he was told Alex would need gadgets specifically to make his seem older. Twenty-some-ish rather and sixteen-ish.

* * *

McGee handed out everyone's coffee before sharing a nervous glance with Tony and Ziva.

"Do you think he'll every put the poor guy out of his misery?" Tony whispered into Ziva's ear as he and McGee stood shoulder to shoulder in front of his desk.

"I am sure Gibbs will have us all go to the conference room when he feels it is necessary." Ziva replied, trying to sound a lot more confident about what Gibbs would do than she felt.

"If you're all dying to get up there we might as well go." Gibbs said, taking off his glasses, folding the paper and slapping it down on his desk.

"That sound like a good idea." Came a distinct British voice from behind Ziva.

"Got something to say, Duck?" Gibbs challenged, standing up almost aggressively.

The team was shocked. Gibbs never acted this way towards Ducky. Against them, yes, but never Ducky!

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do…" Ducky said approaching Gibbs not scared in the slightest. "This young man has done nothing to earn the amount of despise you've dished him. Honestly Jethro, I haven't seen you this way since your latest ex-wife was in town."

Gibbs stared hard at Ducky before glancing at his team and heading for the conference room, not bothering to look back to see if anyone followed.

"You'll tell me how it goes? Won't you?" Ducky asked nervously, glancing between Tony and Ziva anxiously.

"Sure, Ducky." Tony said with an easy going smile.

"Of course." Ziva replied and followed Gibbs without a backwards glance.

"Not me!" McGee declared as soon as he thought he was out of Ducky's hearing distance. "Gibbs would have my head!"

"They I would just reattach it for you! I am a medical practitioner am I not? In fact, once when I was in Cambodia..."

"Let's get out of here before we hear about Ducky's time with switch doctors." Ziva said.

"It's witch doctors, Ziva." McGee replied before Tony could say anything to correct her.

"Is that not what I said?" Ziva asked as innocently as a trained assassin could.


	3. Same Thing

**This chapter might get a bit confusing, but just remember: Alex and Max are the same person so I'll be referring to him as both throughout the story.**

**Stay with me.**

**When I call Alex, "Alex" it means the story is written in Alex's first person. **

**When I call Alex, "Max" it means that the story is in Gibbs' third person.**

**I hope you understand this.**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Same Thing**

* * *

Alex was staring out the large glass window of NCIS, trying to ignore the loud pounding on the door he'd locked.

"If they're going to make me wait for them I might as well make them wait for me." Alex muttered with a smile as he purposefully ignored the fists slamming against the wood of the window-less door.

A very angry man with silver and pale blue eyes burst through the once locked door and began yelling at Alex. "Just what the hell were you thinking by locking this door!"

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't see you there." Alex said and turned around, feigning surprise at the arrival of the silver haired man and his minions: a classically handsome man with brown hair and hazel eyes shoved another man with light brown eyes and lighter brown hair.

"_Lover boy and his baby faced accomplice._" Ran through Alex's head.

The two idiot men were followed by the calm figure of a dark haired beauty with laser-beam eyes the color of melted chocolate.

"Oh! And I suppose you couldn't hear us either." Tony stated sarcastically, tugging on his suit and straightening his tie. "How old are you!"

Tony meant his 'question' to be more of a put-down statement, but Alex didn't take it as one.

"Twenty-four." He replied so quickly that it took a few moments for everyone else in the room to register the fact that Alex had actually answered Tony's stupid, rhetorical question.

"Umm..." Tony said, glancing at Ziva who was giving Alex a suspicious look that never ended well for the recipient of her suspicion. "He's in for it now." Tony muttered and grinned in McGee's direction.

McGee swallowed and nodded. He was the only one in the room that actually felt bad for Alex.

* * *

Gibbs' morning had been going great until he'd decided to give Max a chance. Needless to say, it didn't go well. The man had locked him and his team outside and the refused to allow them entrance despite McGee's loud pounding! And if that wasn't bad enough Max had then turned around and declared that he "hadn't seen them there"!

_"Of course he didn't see us! The door was closed!"_ Gibbs thought angrily.

Gibbs had more things to worry about than a kid from God knows where. "Told me he was from MI6 and then he doesn't even have an accent!" Gibbs huffed. "I bet his greasy black hair isn't even real!" Gibbs mumbled and continued glaring into the laughing green eyes of the "twenty-four" year old in front of him.

Ziva hadn't been the only one to hear Max's rushed answer to one of Tony's ridiculous questions that most people completely ignored.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon how you looked at it, Gibbs took the quickness of Max's response to mean that Max was older than he said…not younger.

The overlook on Gibbs' part was undoubtedly due to the amount of anger coursing off of Gibbs. Ducky was right…he hadn't felt this way since ex number three had shown up on his doorstep a few years back.

"Are you going to keep talking to yourself or are you going to ask me some more questions?" Max asked with a smile as he took a seat, twirling a heavy gold ring around his right pointer finger.

"What kind of hair gel do you use? Because it's not working." Tony said after a moment, staring at Max's hair and fingering his own as if worried it looked just as bad as the other man's hairdo.

Gibbs watched Max ducked his head, seemingly abashed by Tony's comment. Gibbs would have believed this reaction if it hadn't made Ziva frown even harder. Gibbs caught her eye and she smiled and then looked back down at Max.

"_So he likes that Tony thinks he's a grease ball_." Gibbs inferred, rubbing his nose thoughtfully as he took a seat across from Max.

* * *

"What kind of sports do you like?" the silver haired devil asked.

"Baseball is my favorite to watched and play." Alex replied automatically, having rehearsed his cover religiously.

In actuality his answer would have been football, and not the American kind.

"Favorite soft drink?"

"I don't drink pop." Alex replied, leaning back in his chair. He was getting more and more agitated but was trying his best to look comfortable and confident despite the heavy scrutiny the man was putting him under.

"Regular, flavored, or sparkling water?" the man asked, also leaning back in his chair as the other three remained on their feet.

"Regular." Alex said slowly, his eyes narrowing.

"Cake or pie?" the silver haired devil asked without pausing to think about Alex's answers.

Alex had no idea where the man was going with this but he answered to the best of his training, the one that had taught him to be fairly likable. "Pie. Apple." He said as sweetly as he could muster with a frown that was slowly creeping across his lips.

"Soccer of football?" the man asked cooly, no emotion playing across on his face.

This is where Alex made my first mistake. "They're the same thing." He said with a confused frown, his brow furrowing.

The silver devil cocked an eyebrow, the playboy smirked, baby-face shook his head, and the woman relaxed. This was when Alex knew he'd done something wrong.

In America, soccer and football were not the same thing…

"Well damn." Alex commented, keeping to the unaccented drawl he been using despite already being caught. Talking normal would have given away his true age…or so he'd been told by the voice analyst specialists. Or maybe they were experts…and before you ask, there is a difference, and yes, it is a very important one. Remember that.

In case you didn't already know all about the controversial arguments about the differences between experts and specialists, the difference can come in handy if you're facing a bunch of angry science geeks…or…lab technicians who aren't getting paid enough.

* * *

**For anyone who doesn't know NCIS:**

**Gibbs: Silver haired devil.**

**Ziva: Dark haired beauty.**

**Tony: Classically handsome lover boy.**

**McGee: Brown-on-brown baby face.**

**Sorry I had to repeat this for anyone who wasn't confused.**

**Oh, and right now "Max" has black hair and green eyes. Remember than now, it will come in handy later.**


	4. Not Possible

**Chapter Four: **

**Not Possible**

* * *

"Well…I guess you are British…or at least not an American…most likely British because of the whole MI6 ties…" Tony said slowly and with a widening smile. There was a long dead lull in conversation after his comment.

Gibbs watched Max carefully; the man showed no emotion whatsoever except for a slight flash of anger that vanished almost before it appeared.

"Sooooo," McGee finally broke the silent stare down going on between Gibbs and Max. "Are you hungry? Max?" He asked carefully, they'd already found out from the blonde woman outside that Max had refused any food of drink she'd offered him. He'd also refused her number despite her vigorous advances.

"No. But I wouldn't mind a good cup of coffee if you knew where I could get some." Max said with a grateful smile in McGee's direction.

Gibbs couldn't tell if this was a play to get McGee to like him or if Max really was thankful.

"Here, you may have mine." Ziva offered, sliding the disposable cup across the table to sit in front of the man's hand.

Max smiled again as he picked up the steaming beverage and raised the rim to his lips. "Good." He said after a moment before his eyes re-locked with Gibbs' ice blue gaze.

"Do you know how to fire a semi-automatic hand gun?" Gibbs asked out of the blue second later.

Max put down the coffee cup and then met Gibbs' eyes again. "Yes."

* * *

"Whichever one of you scores the highest gets to go home early tonight! That includes you Payton, for the time being you're mine to do with as I please! Is that clear?" Gibbs yelled over the noise of the gun fire in the background of the shooting range he'd brought his team and Alex to.

Alex nodded and took his place on the line, preparing to shoot at a paper target.

"Easy as pie." He muttered under his breath as he took aim.

_Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang… _There were ten shots total from each team member plus Alex.

Alex, Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs all emptied their clips into the range; the targets were as far away as possible in this range. When they had all finished, Gibbs signaled for the papers to be brought forward. It was one point for hitting the paper at all and two points for hitting anywhere on the black and three points for a kill shot.

Tony's and McGee's were compared first: Tony had beaten McGee by thirteen points. Needless to say McGee wasn't a very good shot; he only earned six points total.

Then Gibbs' was compared to Tony's: Gibbs had two more points than Tony.

Next Gibbs and Ziva: Ziva earned twenty-nine points, one away from being perfect.

Finally Alex's was compared to Ziva's.

Everyone scoffed before seeing his scores: there was no way this little nobody was going to beat a trained assassin…but somehow, he did.

Alex got all thirty points, a perfect score.

* * *

"This is just not possible! Again! Just me and him this time!" Ziva declared, it had to of been a mistake. This…Brit couldn't have beaten her! He just couldn't have!

Gibbs handed Alex a new clip while Ziva reloaded her gun and new papers were prepared.

Tony and McGee stood back while Gibbs watched Alex prepare to fire again.

_Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang… _Ziva and Alex once again emptied their clips into the range. This time there were twenty shots fired from both boy and woman.

"Let's find out who did better this time! Shall we?" Ziva asked confidently as she waved her hand to have the papers brought forward, tossing her long braid over one shoulder. By now everyone on the range had gathered around to see if this ex Mossad agent had been beaten out by the nobody that nobody knew anything about or of it had just been beginners luck the first time around.

"I'll be damned." Gibbs muttered under his breath before staring at Alex hard. "He did it. He won." Gibbs was much more stunned that he allowed himself to appear.

Ziva's mouth dropped open and she snatched to two papers out of Gibbs' hands. She had earned fifty-seven points compared to Alex's fifty-nine point score.

"Impossible!" Ziva cried and balled her fists before throwing her hands in the air and storming out of the range.

Tony's gaze flickered between Ziva and the young man before backing away and following his female co-worker out the doors.

"I guess that might not have been the smartest move to pull on day one…huh?" Alex asked McGee jokingly.

"No. I would say not." The other man answered, dead serious.

"Oh well," Alex sighed. "Better luck next time…at a first day of work." And with that enigmatic comment, Alex left the firing range. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began whistling contentedly as if he didn't realize what he'd just brought down upon himself by beating Ziva.

McGee stared after the other man. "Must have a death wish…taking on Ziva." He muttered before slowly following Alex out. "Or he's just stupid."

Gibbs cast a look to the other agents on the firing range. The recipients of his gaze quickly took the hit and got back to work.

Satisfied that everyone was properly admonished for their behavior during what would soon become known as "the incident", Gibbs left the firing range.


	5. Ducky's Domain

**Chapter Five:**

**Ducky's Domain**

* * *

"This is the morgue. Ducky's domain. You may refer to him as Dr. Mallard." Ziva said clearly, obviously trying to grind Alex into the ground by using Ducky's nickname and then specifying that Alex had to call him something more formal.

"You must be Max Payton!" called a rather short British man with a warm smile as he bustled over to shake Alex's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mallard." Alex said, smiling uncomfortably. This was the first man he'd met from his own country since he'd gotten here. He was going to have to be careful about his accent.

"Nonsense! You may call me Ducky just like everyone else!" the man said with a wave of his hand. "Mr. Palmer! Do come and meet our guest!" Ducky had turned and was waving over a younger man with a slightly perplexed look on his face. His confused expression slowly turned into a friendly grin as he shook hands with Alex.

"Tony and McGee have already talked a lot about you even though you just got here this morning." He said, speaking a little too quickly. "But not nearly as much as Abby, and she hasn't even met you yet!" The young man added humorously.

"Yes. Well, she is next on our list." Ziva said with her hands clenched tightly behind her back, her body language was betraying her strong dislike of Alex.

Ducky wasn't sure if this was merely because she didn't trust the lad of if she was upset about him beating her out on the range. Either way, Ducky decided he needed to have a few words with Gibbs.

"Where are you staying Max, my boy?" Ducky questioned.

"The Park View Hotel on 64th street." Alex replied without hesitation since he wasn't really staying there. NCIS believed he was…the paperwork believed he was…but Alex was much too careful to actually sleep in the hotel that everyone thought he was at.

"Ahh, I once attended a banquet at the Park View! It was back in nineteen-" Ducky's voice was cut off when the doors slid closed behind Alex and Ziva, effectively blocking out the rest of Ducky's spiel.

"Off to meet Abby?" Alex asked cheerfully, knowing it got on the woman's nerves.

"No. Gibbs wanted you to meet Ducky, not Abby." Ziva said crisply.

"Ahh." Alex said, pretending that everything was now cleared up.

* * *

"What was the meaning of sending that poor lad down here, Gibbs?" Ducky asked with his back to the doors as they slid open.

"Did you get a read on him Duck?" Gibbs asked, coming up behind Ducky.

Jimmy quietly excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Ducky turned around as soon as he was gone, now facing Gibbs. "A psychological read? Is that what you mean, Jethro?" he asked angrily. "Or a read on his physical health, because I am a certified doctor, you know! And in my expert opinion he's to skinny for his body type!" Ducky ranted, his eyes shooting sparks.

Gibbs just stared at Ducky, knowing he'd answer sooner or later.

"Because I did not! Not get a psychological read on him. His eyes tell one story but his body language and vocals tell another! Not to even mention his words!" Ducky threw his hands in the air and crossed to room to reach his desk.

"What do you mean by all that, Duck?" Gibbs asked as Ducky plopped down in his chair. The doors swished open as Gibbs walked by them to get to Ducky.

"He has sparkly, laughing, green eyes. As I'm sure you've noticed." Ducky waved his hand. "But at the same time his body is saying he's mistrustful, and secretive, not to mention uncomfortable. His smiles are practiced and forced. His voice is tortured and painful to listen to if you read into it correctly. And his actual words…well, they are just sad. Telling a tale of heartbreak and manipulation." Ducky paused and looked up at Gibbs. "Whoever this boy is, he'd been badly treated and quite possibly abused. I don't know what to tell you other than that Jethro." Ducky said with a sad sigh.

"So he is a child?" the director's cool voice asked from the open doorway that Gibbs had opened on accident.

Vance stepped inside the morgue and the doors closed behind him.

"What would make you think that?" Gibbs asked, turning to face Director Vance, his face blank and expressionless.

"The CIA agent you met, he called Max a boy after you all left for the evening. Now Ducky here is calling him a boy again. Dr. Mallard?" Vance asked.

Ducky's face showed surprise and he was quiet for a good long moment before he shook his head and began speaking. "I thought you already knew…and I could very possibly be wrong, mind you, but I doubt that his is anything but a child. Max's facial bone structure suggests he is anywhere from fifteen to seventeen."

"What would you need to prove his age, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"An X-ray of the lad's arm." Ducky replied without pause.

Gibbs nodded and headed for the door.

"If I find out you broke that child's arm I will come after you Jethro!" Ducky called after his as Gibbs walked out the doors.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Duck." Gibbs called over his shoulder without turning back.

* * *

"Do you think he'll get your X-ray?" Vance asked Ducky as soon as Gibbs was gone.

"I'm quite sure he will. I'm just not too sure about his means of getting it…" Ducky muttered loudly.

Vance nodded. "Gibbs knows right from wrong." The man said and then he to left the morgue, leaving Ducky all alone.

Ducky turned around to face the emptiness and whispered, "I'm sure he does. But whether he will use his knowledge is another matter completely."


	6. Abby's Babies

**Chapter Six:**

**Abby's Babies**

* * *

"Who do you think he is? Or what? I suppose…" whispered Tony from behind his fingers as he watched Max flip through a magazine Tony had provided him. The magazine was exclusively all about cars. Tony figured this was better than giving Max a magazine filled with images of scantily clad women.

Actually, it had been a miracle Tony had even found a magazine that wasn't about naked women when Max had asked him if he had something he could read.

McGee sighed exasperated. "Why don't you just tell us your theory, Tony. Save all of us some time and headache for a change." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"Well, I for one don't care who he is. I just want him gone." Ziva said with a huff as she glared evilly at Max who was flipping innocently along without a care as if he couldn't clearly hear the team discuss him five feet away.

"This is just like First Strike! Only Max isn't Chinese and he's with MI6 instead of the CIA!" Tony declared a little too excitedly after a very long lull in conversation.

Even Ziva missed Max's smirk, hidden behind the picture of a gold SUV, drawn out by Tony's rather random comment about another movie.

"Sure, Tony." McGee replied as he stood. "Wanna' go meet Abby?" he asked Max trying not to sound as strained and under pressure as he felt. "She's desperate to meet you."

Max glanced up and raised a surprisingly well manicured eyebrow. "Anything is better than having to listen to her plot and plan out my death." Max muttered as he and McGee passed by Ziva's desk.

Ziva calmly waited until McGee and Max were in the elevator and the doors had closed before she strangled the object that had been in her hand. No one knew what it had started out as since it was now mangled beyond recognition.

"Next time, just smile and act like you don't understand English. It shouldn't be too hard for you to do." Tony said sweetly with an almost helpful undertone in his voice.

Ziva turned her pinning brown gaze on him and rose from her seat glaring fiercely.

Tony's eyes widened and he made a run for it, darting out from behind his desk and heading for the men's room. He made it just in time to lock the door as Ziva slammed into the other side of the metal door.

Ziva whispered death threats through the rather thin width of door. "Tony when you come out of there, and we both know you'll have to eventually, I am going to-"

* * *

"What's this?" Alex asked as he pointed at one of the machines before reaching out to touch it gingerly with his index finger.

"Don't touch that!" both Abby and McGee yelled at the exact same moment, both flinging themselves towards Alex to stop him from messing with the shiny new toy Abby had received only one week, give or take, prior.

"I would tell you, my greasy haired friend, by then I'd have to kill you." Abby replied as she took on a protective stance in front of her 'baby'.

"Okay…I think I'd like some lunch now." Alex said slowly as he backed away and headed for the stairs, preferring them rather than waiting who knows how long for the elevator to arrive.

"What do you think, Timmy?" Abby turned to McGee and asked as soon as Alex was clear of her doors.

"I don't know Abs... but I think Gibbs' instincts may be wrong on this one." McGee replied as he stared in the direction Alex had gone.

Abby gasped and thumped McGee in the chest with her fist. Then she verbally scolded him. "Gibbs is never wrong! Never! Not about anything!"

With those decisive words Abby sent McGee on his way after Alex with the reminder of a good tongue and hand lashing still throbbing in his mind. Physically and mentally McGee had been whipped.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence but I'd rather have results." Gibbs commented as he passed by McGee on his way towards the stairs.

"All I had to was get him to stand still close enough to the machine, and all I did was yell "Stand still" when Tim and he first came through the door." Abby cried happily, proud of her ingenuity; her pig tails bounced like a little girl's despite her grand height and obvious maturity.

"Abby," Gibbs warned.

"Right boss! I got the X-ray and sent it straight Ducky. He should be looking it over any second now." Abby finished with a suppressing hand movement that seemed to make her slightly calmer.

Gibbs nodded and turned to leave. "Good work, Abs."

"Hey! Where's my Cafe Pow!" Abby demanded as Gibbs drew closer and closer to the exit of her lab.

"By your keyboard." Gibbs called without turning back and the doors swished closed behind him.

Abby turned around. Sure enough, her Cafe Pow was waiting for her. "I wish I knew how he did that!" she took a big slurp. "On second thought, maybe I don't." Abby said thoughtfully to herself as she continued to slurp happily at the beverage and turned back to her computer screen.


	7. Time Change

**Chapter Seven:**

**Time Change**

* * *

"Gibbs." Ducky looked up as Gibbs as he entered the morgue.

"What is it, Duck?" Gibbs asked quietly as he approached the X-ray reader.

"His age, Gibbs. His age." Ducky murmured obviously horrified.

"You already knew he was young." Gibbs replied quietly.

"Yes. But I also had no idea the trama he's suffered. Gibbs, this single arm as been broken at least twice. One, that I can tell, a while ago. Another that I am sure of is rather recent, within the last year or two." Ducky said, he's eyes seeking out Gibbs'.

"Your point, Ducky?" Gibbs asked clearly unmoved.

"Gibbs, from this X-ray I've concluded Max is fifteen of sixteen…which would me he suffered from this very traumatic injury when he was thirteen of fourteen."

Gibbs finally understood what Ducky was trying to tell him. He dropped his arms and stared at the arm. "I want you to do a full examination of him, Ducky." Gibbs said. "He'll be down shortly."

"Of course." Ducky replied as Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and headed for the door.

* * *

"Hey boss. Um, yeah. We're getting pizza to bring back. Yes…no…Gibbs!" McGee glanced at Alex horrified by whatever Gibbs had said. "I…okay…" He finally conceded before hanging up his cell and turning to Alex. "We're going to eat at Gibbs', there's a case and he…he doesn't want you involved." Timothy whispered ashamed, not meeting Alex's eye.

"I understand. Gibbs doesn't trust me." Alex turned away, slightly hurt in a way only a teenager could be.

Tim watched as Alex turned his back on him, giving him the perfect opportunity to slip a sleeping drug into his drink.

* * *

The drug didn't take effect until after Max was back in the car, much to McGee's relief. He would have hated to flash his badge in order to get the other man out of the pizza joint.

"I'm on my way over…I hope this is worth it." McGee muttered into the phone pressed tightly against his ear.

"Gibbs believes it is." Tony replied, glancing nervously towards one of the only men he trusted with his life.

"As do I." Ziva added confidently into Tony's phone since he'd put it on speaker.

Palmer decided to jump in. "Regardless, Ducky is talking to him about it right now." Both Tony and Ziva glanced across the room to where Ducky and Gibbs were conversing.

"Well, maybe he'll talk some sense into him." McGee replied uncertainly.

Tony snorted, Ziva's eyes darted back to Gibbs, and Palmer actually let out a short chuckle which attracted Gibbs' attention, drawling him over.

"Got to go, McGeek." Tony whispered and hung up. "They're on their way, boss."

"Good. Go up and meet them." Gibbs said and went to get Abby.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Max was stretched out on one of Ducky's table with Ziva and Tony standing guard outside the door. McGee was up on the bullpen on phone duty and running interception/cover stories for where everyone was. Gibbs, Abby, Palmer, and Ducky were all in the morgue either examining Max or collecting samples to run DNA.

"'K. I've got everything I need." Abby declared and gathered everything before leaving.

"I want results-" Gibbs started.

Abby cut him off. "ASAP! Got it boss-man!" She called as she rushed out.

Gibbs smiled as he turned back around only to frown again when he looked down and Max's half naked body. The kid was covered in scares Ducky had already determined were from shootings, stabbings, beatings, etc...

"Who," Ducky stopped to think before asking a different question. "What is he, Gibbs?"

Stepping away from the table and heading for his desk, leaving Palmer to re-dress the boy.

"A child that is turning out to be more trouble than he's worth." Gibbs replied, patting Ducky on the back before heading for the door. "Tony! Get in here."

"Sure thing boss!" Tony called. "What do you want?" Tony asked as soon as he was inside.

"We're going to take him to my house." Gibbs said shortly.

"Oh…to lessen the whole "we drugged you" thing?" Tony asked.

All he got was silence and a glare.

"Right. I'll go head." Tony called and rushed past Gibbs to the table where Max was still laid out looking a little bit too much like a dead body for the comfort of the team who'd seen him alive only hours earlier.

* * *

Alex opened his eyes and frowned. He glanced around; the scenery outside had changed. He glanced at both the car's clock and his wrist watched, they both showed about twenty minutes of time had passed.

Alex shrugged and rested his head against the head-restraint. He must be more exhausted than he'd originally thought. Probably due to the reoccurring nightmares he'd been suffering from for a year or two now.

McGee glanced nervously at Alex, hoping Gibbs plan of "time change" had worked.


	8. Teenage Boy

**Chapter Eight:**

**Teenage Boy**

* * *

Alex lay on the couch, dreaming.

_It was a warm, sunny afternoon. A handsome man with fair hair and warm brown eyes stood near a pretty blonde woman with sweet brown eyes. His arm was wrapped around her waist and they were both smiling widely. All of a sudden Ash appeared in the picture, ruining the perfect portrayal of happiness._

_"No." Alex whispered as the man and woman turned to board the plane. "No!" he called again, louder this time, as Ash pulled out a cellular phone as soon as the plane was off the ground. "NO!" Alex screamed as the plane exploded in midair._

_Alex fell to his knees and dropped his head to the ground in agony. Pounding on the ground once with his fist he didn't hear nor see the man approached._

_"Bye, Alex. I'd add 'good' but I don't think it will be. At least not for you." The voice from above sneered._

_Alex raised his head just in time to see Ash point a gun at the center of his forehead._

_"NO!" screamed a voice from behind the boy._

_Alex tried to turn to see who it was but a shot rang out before he could glimpse the person who'd screamed._

_As if Alex were someone else, he watched his body drop to the ground, dead._

* * *

Alex lurched forward nearly off of the couch. It had all been a dream. Or rather a nightmare.

He glanced around to try and figure out the time; it was dark outside, Alex could see that through the un-shaded windows. It was also the middle of winter so the darkness outside meant nothing when it came to telling time. The inside of the room was dark too so Alex was having some trouble reading his watch. It was actually surprising that Smithers hadn't thought to make the screen glow in the dark.

Alex made a mental note to have the man add that specific alteration to the watch before mass producing it to other agents.

Alex stood and crossed the room, looking for a light-switch. As soon as he found one he flipped it on and glanced down; his watch read ten thirty. Alex frowned, he'd only been asleep for six hours but the clock showed he'd been asleep for eight.

Something was wrong. Alex had trained his body to only sleep for six hours at a time.

Alex knew he had to get out of the house before Gibbs or one of the team found him awake, so he grabbed his jacket and made his way towards the front door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A deadly serious voice said from behind him.

Alex didn't spin around like expected. Instead he dropped to the floor and made a sweeping kick meant to knock his opponent of their feet. Shockingly, it worked.

Ziva lay on the ground and Alex stood over her. Unfortunately for Alex, Ziva's shock wore off long before he could make another break for the front door.

The woman went on the offensive as she jumped to her feet in a cat like manner and Alex was forced to block a kick aimed at his knee but missed the punch aimed at his mid-section. He nearly keeled over, allowing Ziva to believe she'd beaten him with one blow…whether or not it had been a fist to the stomach.

Apparently her ego was large enough that it worked. The woman smiled and took a step forward, towards Alex's bent over form.

He straighten lashed and out with his foot in a single flowing movement, Alex's foot connecting with Ziva's unprotected side.

Ziva silently grabbed a handful of Alex's hair. Alex quickly took control of her hand before bending her arm back so that he soon had control of that limb too.

What Alex didn't know was Ziva had allowed this. Grinning she kicked upwards with her foot.

Connecting, Ziva dropped Alex to the floor.

"I thought you said you wouldn't fight dirty." Tony muttered as he rubbed himself over protectively as he crossed to room to stand over the figure of Alex sprawled on the floor clearly unconscious.

"But I never said I wouldn't lie." Ziva replied, leaving Tony to carry the now groaning Alex back to the couch until morning.

* * *

Gibbs woke at exactly five o'clock. After showering and shaving he headed downstairs to prepare breakfast for himself and the others. Burned toast for all…except Max. Gibbs had decided that the kid could go without until he decided to tell the truth.

Well at least that was the plan. Gazing down upon the sleeping boy's face, softened Gibbs, and he headed back into the kitchen to grab one of the sausage sandwiches he normally ate.

Once cooked, Gibbs waved the egg, sausage, and cheese biscuit beneath Max's nose. As correctly assumed, the kid opened his eyes.

What hungry teenage boy wouldn't have woken for the promise of food?

* * *

**Sorry for anyone who actually thought I would write it so that Alex could beat Ziva in a hand-to-hand fight.**

**He's good.**

**But so far he's not that good.**

**At least in this story, which I would like to point out is mine.**

**I mean, come on, he's a sixteen year old boy.**

**Ziva's a twenty-some (I think) trained assassin.**

**Do the math... Ziva's just a little bit better than Alex.**

**At least for now...**


	9. Wrong Impressions

**Chapter Nine: **

**Wrong Impressions**

* * *

Alex opened his eyes and came face to face with the best looking object he'd ever seen.

Food.

Gibbs smirked as Alex sat up and reached out to grab the sandwich before stuffing the whole thing in his mouth.

"Like that do you?" Tony sneered from the doorway as he held his hardened piece of toast gingerly between his pointer finger and his thumb.

"Yep. Sure is good." Alex grinned happily at Tony's nasty expression.

"Kid deserved it. You didn't." Gibbs stated, smacking Tony.

Alex stiffened. His entire body had gone ridged.

Gibbs glanced back. "We figured it out." He said simply before leaving the room.

Tony watched Alex carefully. The boy had frozen and was now so utterly still he couldn't ever tell if the kid was breathing. "For the record, Ducky says your facial structure will make it so when your forty people will think you're twenty." Tony mumbled jealously.

Alex's reaction was not expected. The kid jerked and his permanently laughing eyes didn't seem to fit in with the rest of him.

* * *

Gibbs entered Abby's lab just as the results came up.

"Got something for my Abs?" He asked setting the Cafe Pow down in front of her.

"Sure do! But you're not going to like it…" Abby trailed off as she picked the drink up and took a sip all the while crossing over to her computer to pull up all the information about the samples she'd taken from Max.

"Go ahead, Abby." Gibbs motioned.

"I'm waiting on the team. Palmer and Ducky said they would distract Max while you all learn what I have to say-" Abby was cut off by the doors opening in Tony, Ziva, and McGee spilling into her lab.

"Now?" Gibbs asked purposefully, taking away the Cafe Pow.

"You're so pushy!" Abby declared with a playful smile as she turned back to the computer screen. "First of all, he's not a natural brunette. Did you know brunette is another name for people with black hair!" When Abby's statement was met with silence she sighed and continued. "I washed one of the samples like eighty-six times and I finally got the natural color…I think." Abby muttered as she pulled up an image of the uncolored hair. "It's kinda' blonde, more on the golden side of the color scale." Abby murmured staring at the hair in fascination. "Or maybe a sandy blonde…really, fair is probably the best word to describe it." She muttered to herself before being drawn out of her trance by the rustling of ice.

"Any time Abs." Gibbs said shaking the drink once more for good measure.

"Okay! His eyes, I don't think their real but Ducky says they aren't contacts so I have no idea what his real coloring is let alone what emotion they portray. This is necessary information!" Abby cried before Gibbs could take away her Cafe Pow for good. "As you've all undoubtedly noticed, and I know I did, and Ducky too but for different reasons…Max's eyes seem to dance and give off a sort of laughter. Ducky didn't think it fit in with the rest of his demeanor and I agree. Whatever he's had done to his eyes it isn't natural, I think the green was engineered to make his eyes sparkle." Abby finished unhappily. "I don't know how or why this was done…sorry, Gibbs." She muttered.

"It's okay Abs. You just gave us enough ammo to get more information out of the kid." McGee whispered when Gibbs walked out without saying anything.

"Do you think Gibbs is mad?" Abby asked, crestfallen.

"If he were he wouldn't have left this." Ziva said and handed Abby her Cafe Pow.

Abby immediately snapped out of her mini depression and once again was back to her unusually chipper self. "Bye, guys!" She called as they filled out after Gibbs one by one.

"Bye, Abby." Tony called over his shoulder since he'd been the last one out.

"Ahh, nothing like a good Cafe Pow to get a girl goin'." Abby said with a smile as she got back to work.

* * *

As soon as Gibbs dropped off the team and climbed in the elevator to head down and pick up Max, he thought a lot about what both Ducky and Abby had said about Max…and he couldn't help but wonder if his first impressions were wrong.

This was, of course, unheard of for Gibbs. But never the less, Gibbs still couldn't help but wonder.

"Kids shouldn't be in this business." Gibbs muttered aloud for the first time even though it wasn't the first time he'd thought it.

"No. They shouldn't." A voice from behind him muttered. It was Max.

"Max!" Called Palmer, rushing out of the morgue.

Gibbs didn't even glanced at Palmer, instead he engaged in a silent stare down with Max. "You coming or not." Gibbs asked after a tense pause.

Palmer could be heard sighing.

Max glanced at the empty elevator behind Gibbs, finally he shrugged and both Max and Gibbs stepped into the metal chamber.

* * *

The doors closed behind Alex and he couldn't help but wonder if this was not the greatest idea.

Alex reached forward to turn the elevator off.

"Don't." Gibbs said sternly.

Alex stared into the man's eyes before he moved his hand back to his side.

The rest of the ride back to the bullpen was filled with the most uncomfortable of silences.

Alex was hurt that after everything Gibbs didn't want to hear what he had to say.

Gibbs was silently swearing for stopping the kid. Maybe if he hadn't he would have finally gotten some answers. There was no telling the next time the boy would be ready to talk. Unfortunately, there was no going back now.


	10. McGeeky's Buck

**Chapter Ten:**

**McGeeky's Buck **

* * *

"Dead naval lieutenant, grab your gear. Tony, you're staying here with the kid." Gibbs called as he entered and exited the bullpen in record time.

Ziva frowned.

McGee smiled.

Tony glanced up from his lunch with a half shocked half enraged look on his face. "What?" Tony called as his team mates left without him.

"Looks like it's just the two of us." Max grinned widely. And after a moment added, "I'm hungry." Max stared down at Tony who was doing his best to regain his composure after being left behind. He was doing a bad job of it…mostly because he was covered in sauce from his sandwich.

"Umm, here's a buck. Go buy yourself something from the machine." Tony said after a moment, crossing the space to pull out the dollar from McGee's desk drawer. "Just don't tell McGeeky where this came from." Tony added as he handed the rumpled bill over.

Max looked down at the green dollar and then back at Tony, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Tony asked, not seeing a problem with stealing from a coworker's desk.

"Nothing." Max said in a tone that was obviously not 'nothing'.

"Whatever." Tony grumbled as Max sauntered out of the bullpen, the kid seemed to not have a care in the world.

* * *

Alex waited until he was sure Tony couldn't see him before making a run for it. He slipped through security by merely pulling a local baseball team's cap over his hair. Apparently the staff was paid to keep people out…not in. At least not when the building wasn't under lock down. That was a completely different story that Alex didn't even want to think about right now.

Alex hailed a cab and had it drive him to the other side of the city before he jumped out and exchanged McGee's dollar for change in a nearby store. He then climbed back into a different cab and had it drive him almost all the way back to the NCIS building before hopping back out and sliding the coins into a pay phone.

The teenager grinned as the phone rang, happy with what he'd done so far.

* * *

"He take the bait?" McGee asked Tony from the ear bud hidden in his ear.

"Yep. Kid left ten minutes ago. You trackin' him?" Tony asked, messing with the annoying devise hidden in his ear.

"Yes. He is in a pawnshop. Running records right now." Ziva called from the background of where ever McGee was at the moment.

Tony waited a moment before asking, "So…?"

"Clean." Ziva stated angrily, she'd hoped to immediately catch Max's accomplices in crime.

"Clean." McGee repeated into the phone. "We're going to send in another team, someone Max hasn't met, to check out the situation."

Tony nodded even though McGee couldn't see him. "Sounds good. I'll continue to have nothing to do here, waiting for you to come back." He said sarcastically.

"Something is wrong…this is, was far too easy…" Ziva muttered as a casually dressed NCIS agent walked into the pawnshop with his partner.

"Calm down, Ziva. The kid's just making mistakes that's all." McGee encouraged, more hope than confidence in his tone.

"Hum." Ziva murmured unsatisfied with this answer.

A few minutes later the agent and his partner emerged from the shop. "Nothing. Kid came in to get change for a one and then left." The man said into his cell phone as he stood next to Ziva on the street.

Ziva frowned and got back on the phone with Tony. "Kid figured it out. He's on the loose." She said curtly, trying desperately to no lose her temper.

"Umm…not quite…" Tony muttered angrily before yanking the ear piece out of his ear and throwing it on the desk. He did all of this because as Ziva was speaking, who should walk in by Max himself.

"Good cri-chips you have in the machines here. I couldn't figure out which ones I wanted most!" Max said with a smile as he passed Tony and took a seat down next to him.

"What took you so long!" Tony yelled but then quickly added, "I was worried about you." The man folding his arms across his chest.

Max snorted before grinning and replying, "I already said I couldn't decide which chips to get," Max added more after observing Tony's skepticism. "And then I was talking to a cute little blonde from reception. I met her my first day here and thought I'd go up and say hi." This answer was quite reasonable…if only it had come from someone else's mouth. For example: if this excuse had come from Tony, any and every one would have believed it instantly.

Tony stared at the kid eating his chips, or crisps as they are called in the United Kingdom. Shaking his head, he emailed McGee who could check it on his phone.


	11. Purposefully Losing

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Purposefully losing**

* * *

Ziva and McGee stormed into the bullpen ready to rip Tony into tiny pieces just like Gibbs had done to them on the ride back to the NCIS building. Instead, the found Tony and Max discussing which magazine they liked better. Playboy or the magazine with the word 'cars' somewhere in the title.

"Personally, I prefer cars because…they don't talk." Max said right as Ziva walked by. "Cars also know to avoid kicking a guy in the bread basket." He sneered as Ziva moved behind her desk.

Ziva glanced up, her eyes blazing. She moved out from behind her desk and got right in Max's face. He allowed this, tensing, ready for a fight.

"Ziva," Gibbs said and smacked her on the back of the head. "Sit down."

Ziva blinked, offended that after being provoked, Gibbs yelled at her. She took his order though, and reclaimed her seat.

Max glared at Gibbs and headed out of the bullpen.

"Where you goin'?" McGee called after him.

"Bathroom. Feel free not to join me," Max called sarcastically. "Because I don't swing that way.

"What's up with him?" McGee asked Tony.

"I don't know…I thought he liked you better than he liked me but before you showed up he was all buddy buddy with me. And now he's, well, not being very friendly." Tony replied with a frown.

"It's Ziva." Gibbs replied. "He might be quite mature for a teenage boy but he's-"

Ziva cut him off, "Still a teenage boy. One I dented the pride of." She sighed. "I suppose I'm going to have to apologize." Ziva frowned.

"No. You just have to repair the damage. As soon as the kid gets back we're going down to the gym." Gibbs said.

Tony, McGee, and Ziva all stared. After a long moment it slowly dawned on the three of them.

"Ziva just has to lose!" Tony cried.

"That's so simple." McGee commented, awe struck.

"It will have to be fairly realistic or the child will never believe it and even more damage will be caused…Gibbs, this is very risky." Ziva said slowly, making sure he understood.

"Yes." Gibbs said simply before ruffling through his bag.

"I guess that means I'll just have to do a good job…of doing a really bad one." Ziva muttered and began mentally preparing herself for what she had to do.

Purposefully losing was not one of her strong points.

* * *

Alex arrived back at the desks and found everyone waiting for him.

"We're going down to the gym. You can borrow some of Tony's clothes." Gibbs said after examining Alex closely.

Alex was several inches taller than Tony, who was about six-foot-one. But Alex had a slimer and more athletic build so Tony's clothes would should fit him fine.

Alex nodded and followed McGee to the elevator.

* * *

Once reaching the gym level, Ziva split off from the rest of the group and headed for the women's locker-room.

Alex continued to follow McGee. Tony tossed him a more than ripe pair of shorts and a rather clean shirt after Gibbs shot his a look. Alex glanced around for a private place to change; finding none he simply turned around and quickly changed out of his shirt.

Dropping the button up shirt on the floor, Alex tugged Tony's t-shirt over his head and down his torso, not quite ready for the team to see his scares…at least not the ones on the front of his body.

* * *

Gibbs watched Max turn around to change. Was he embarrassed by the large gun-shot wound centimeters from his heart, or was he simply trying to his himself from the others, not wanting them to see the damage done to his young body. Gibbs didn't know the answer but was determined to find out.

* * *

Alex followed Gibbs out to the gym and headed straight for a punching bag. McGee heading for an exercise bike and Tony headed for a treadmill. Ziva was already on an elliptical and Gibbs began jogging around the track that circled the large room from the outside.

Alex waited until after Gibbs was halfway around the track before closing the door, effectively closing off the only window Gibbs would have had in.

Ziva hopped off her machine and crossed the room to stand in front of Alex on the mats.

Both waited for the other to attack, when none came Tony cleared his throat and said from the safety of his machine, "Well, this is exciting. Good job whooping his butt, Ziva!"

When Ziva turned her head to sneer at Tony, Alex used her distraction to dart forward and drop her to the ground. Jumping up and away Alex waited for Ziva to stand.

She was now madder than a hornet and ready to make the next attack. After doing a summersault into a standing position Ziva glared daggers at Alex, who just grinned wickedly.

"Problem, Ziva?" Alex asked sweetly as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"None at all." Ziva replied in a deathly calm voice.

At her tone, McGee stopped biking and glanced towards the doors nervously, half hoping Gibbs would re-appear.

"Good." Alex said with a boyish grin as Ziva lashed out with her fists. One connected with Alex's jaw and his head spun.

Shaking it off, Alex renewed his own attack and managed to land a punch in Ziva gut.

Ziva didn't even blink she simply took a step back.

Both fighters watched each other warily, not knowing what to expect next when all of a sudden the fire alarm went off.

Alex glanced up and away just as Ziva sent a kick in his direction.

Unfortunately, Alex had been expecting both the alarm and the kick and managed to grab on before twisting and sending Ziva face first into the ground.

Before she could stand up Alex made a break for the door. Not the one that lead to the track and the elevator, but the one that lead outside.

"Max!" McGee called, confused about what had just happened.

Gibbs burst in just as Alex burst out. All Gibbs saw was the door banging shut, but McGee's shout had been enough to alert him what was going on.

Running to the door, Gibbs threw it open, followed closely by McGee. Tony had stopped to help drag Ziva to her feet before they too followed their boss out the door after the mysterious kid who confounded them all.

* * *

**I'd like to say one quick thing about the last chapter...**

**Ziva was planing on letting Alex get her. That was why she let Tony "distract" her.**

**But Alex made her so mad she decided that it wasn't worth it and waited until he was "distracted" by the alarm and attacked for real.**

**So basically, Alex did beat her…in a way…if you look at it the right way…**

**He didn't stick around to have her stand back up so he might not have won in the end. But for all intents and purposes Alex beat Ziva!**


	12. Just Watch

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Just Watch **

* * *

"He's gone!" Ziva called into her ear bud after making a full sweep of the outside of the NCIS building.

"The fire alarm was set on purpose!" Tony shouted, out of breath after completing his search of the inside.

Gibbs cursed and swiped the coffee cup off the table in the conference room where he'd first met Max. He was waiting in the conference room for news. Good or bad any news would be welcome. But preferably good new. Gibbs didn't want to have to shoot the messenger.

"Boss? You're going to want to come see this." McGee spoke timidly and disappeared out the door before Gibbs could turn around and shoot him.

Gibbs cursed again but followed McGee down to the bullpen where a video was paused and ready to play on the large screen.

"What is this, Probie?" Tony asked as he just barely beat Gibbs to McGee's side.

"Security camera footage." McGee said in a voice that made everyone pause and pay closer attention.

"What about it, McGee?" Gibbs asked, starting to get annoyed at someone other than himself.

"Just watch." McGee said and hit play as soon a Ziva arrived, mere seconds later.

* * *

_Max sprinted out of the gym door and headed straight for the lower parking lot. A black van swung around and the door opened, a masked man reached out of the side meaning to grab ahold of the boy and drag him into the moving vehicle._

_The masked man wouldn't get the chance though because just as closed in on Max, another van, this one white, screeched around the corner and tried to drag Max inside the slow moving vehicle. The men in the black van began shooting at the white van as Max tried to fight off the hands of the masked man who'd grabbed him from behind._

_Max failed because just as he managed to break the hold of the first man, another masked figure reached out and clobbered him over the head with the butt of his gun. Max fell, nearly to the ground. The only thing stopping his fall was the original white-van man's hands clasping his shirt and dragging him into the vehicle. _

_Unconscious, Max could no longer fight off his assailants._

_The white van's doors swung shut and the vehicle high-tailed it out of the parking lot followed closely by the black van that now had a man seated shot-gun shooting out the window being careful not to hit anything but the white van with his hail of bullets._

_After a few more seconds of shooting occurred before both vans disappeared from the sight of the camera._

* * *

There was silence as the cars both drove out of view of the camera until the screen went black.

"What does this mean?" Tony asked after another moment.

"I think Max got kidnapped in the middle of trying to escape from us." McGee supplied helpfully yet still unsure if this was the true outcome.

Ziva stared with her mouth open for another second before proceeding to swear in so many languages Tony lost count.

Gibbs stared at the screen before starting to bark out orders, breaking through Ziva's cursing.

"Boss? We're going after him?" McGee asked while trying to following the orders he'd just been given.

"Yes. Even though we hate him, he's still-" Gibbs started and was unable to finish.

So Tony ended the sentence for him. "Just a kid." His voice was calm despite the problems he knew they'd face during the upcoming task.

"You are correct. We have to go after him." Ziva agreed solemnly, and she was the one who hated Max with an undeniable passion.

Tony gazed at Ziva, trying to decide if her stone set decision was real, or if it was just an act to ease her guilty conscious.

Whatever he decided, he grabbed his gear and followed Gibbs out of the bullpen. McGee hot on his heels. Ziva spent another moment staring up at the face of a scared teenage boy on the screen.

* * *

Meanwhile a man stared down at the unconscious form of Alex Rider; he looked at the boy with no emotion what so ever. The man eventually got bored with staring at Alex and his eyes flickered around the back of the van to roam over the mass of loaded weapons.

"I really love this country. America." The man mumbled through a thick beard as he tugged on his shirt. It was rather stuffy and hot inside the van loaded with his partner and the boy stuffed in the back out of sight. "Lucky," he grumbled as he glared at the back of the driver's close shaven head. "Next time I get to drive." He continued to grumble as he shoved a pile of garbage away from his seat with a large boot covered foot.


	13. Obeying Orders

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Obeying Orders**

* * *

Alex slowly blinked open his unnaturally green eyes; he was lying on a soft bed wrapped in smooth blankets and his head was cushioned by several downy pillows.

When Alex sat up he realized that he was naked, understandable since it was possible he'd had some sort of tracking devise hidden on him upon arrival to…well, wherever this was.

Understandable but not realistic.

Alex could tell the difference between just about anything normal and anything that was a tracker in disguise. Much like he had with one dollar bill he'd been given to use far too causally. If Gibbs' team had planted something on Alex that he hadn't noticed…well then they deserved to be able to track him down. Actually, right about now it would have come in handy.

Alex slid around to the side of the bed and placed both feet on the finely carpeted floor when a voice called in a rough German, "Lehnen Sie sich zurück nach unten und etwas zu schlafen." Alex blinked and translated the words quickly inside of his head. "Lie back down and get some sleep." Was roughly the English translation, Alex was a little fuzzy headed so he wasn't sure if he had the exact translation.

Alex wasn't use to obeying orders, especially not ones barked by an unknown figure from the shadows. But there was something about this bed that made Alex want to do as he was told and go back to sleep.

So he did just that.

Alex slid back underneath the sheets and closed his eyes, praying to a God he didn't believe in that the dreams wouldn't come.

* * *

Gibbs and his team scoured the parking lot they'd turned into a crime scene in hopes of finding any sign of Max. There were tire prints from both vehicles and even an oil stain the white van had left while it waited toward the back of the lot to capture up the boy.

Gibbs had decided, at least for now, that they were going to treat this as an escape gone wrong which had turned into a kidnapping. Tony's words, Gibbs had only agreed with a nod.

McGee had been left inside with Abby going over camera footage from every camera owned by NCIS and the footage from surrounding buildings and even traffic cameras. So far, they hadn't had much luck.

"What do you have for me, Abs?" Gibbs asked as he entered Abby's lab which was now full of television screens.

"Nothing so far…but I do have a theory." Abby said, depressed at first then ending like her usual chipper self.

Gibbs stared, awaiting her theory.

"Okay, I think that one or both vans added labels to the sides after they got out of our camera rang… which is why we can't find them." Abby walked over to a screen. "Observe the footage from a spa a few blocks down the street from here. A black van with a television repair logo following a white van with a florist's logo." Abby paused.

Gibbs nodded when she glanced in his direction.

"And then in this footage from a school another white van, this one with a paper company advertisement on its side is being trailed by this black van with furniture delivery on the side." Abby paused again, biting her lip.

"What's the catch?" Ziva asked, coming up behind Gibbs.

"Well, this is footage from about the same time showing similar vans with logos following each other…" Abby clicked a button on the remote. "And they are heading in a completely different direction that these two." Abby pointed at the original screen with the florist and the television repair logos. "It's going to be nearly impossible to tell which vans are which!" Abby exclaimed.

Ziva and Gibbs contemplated that for a moment before both opening their mouths at the same time.

But before they could say anything Abby cut their barely formed words off. "And before you suggest looking for bullet holes both these white vans have them. Don't ask me how." Abby said with her hands held in the "I give up" position just above her head.

Gibbs and Ziva both nodded curtly before vacating Abby's lab and heading off to find McGee. Hopefully he would have better news, something the Great Abs didn't catch.

* * *

The five men from the black van emerged smiling happily. Mission accomplished.

The three men from the white van, who'd already dropped off the package, sauntered over to the men from the black van and shook hands.

"Told you we would have him before you." The man who'd hit Alex over the head with his gun said with a arrogant grin.

The man whose hand he was shaking frowned and gripped the man's hand harder. "It wasn't necessary to knock him unconscious-" Before he could finish he was cut off but the knocker-outer.

"I disagree! Who knows what kind of damage the boy would have caused if I hadn't knocked him out!" he exclaimed angrily while withdrawing his hand and wiping it on his shirt as if it were contaminated by some sort of incurably disease.

"Let me finish." The black-van's man said and grabbed the shirt front of the other man. "I too think that it was necessary for him to be unconscious. I just do not believe you had to do it in such a violent manner." The man said deathly calm expression.

When the white-van's man was back on his feet he apologized profusely. "If it is any consolation he has been given the best accommodations possible." The man called weakly after the man who'd just lifted him off the ground.

"It isn't." The man muttered under his breath and he climbed into the driver's seat of a black SUV and drove out of the privately owned parking garage.

* * *

**This chapter might have been a little bit confusing because of the whole "white van man" and "black van man". **

**Any questions 'cuz you didn't understand something will be quickly answered you just have to ask.**


	14. Belt Needed

**_Merry Christmas!_**

**And/or**

**_Happy Holidays_**

**Plus**

**_Happy New Year_**

**To: All Readers! From: ME!**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: **

**Belt Needed**

* * *

"Wann, glauben Sie, wird er aufwachen?" asked a man with short, coarse, cropped, black hair in German. It was the same man that had only hours before held another man off the ground for disrespecting him and Alex.

"Umm…" A scrawny man with thick glasses stared over at the stocky black man who stood beside him.

"When do you think he will wake up?" rolling his eyes, the black man repeated his question, this time in English.

The rather geekie looking man nodded almost excitedly and replied, "Any moment now, I assume. He isn't on sedatives and the blow to his head was merely caused a temporary unconscious state, about forty five minutes of so."

The man was reading off of a clipboard before looking down into the room with a bed and a slim figure sleeping in it. "No concussion and no permanent damage. Right now I believe that he is exhausted and just sleeping. If he stays asleep for longer than ten hours we will check on him."

Before the black man could ask anything, the scrawny man kept going, "He's been asleep for about six hours. For some reason he hasn't been entering REM sleep and his body hasn't really had a chance to recuperate yet. I'm hoping that eventually he will get over what is plaguing him and falling into a much deeper sleep than he is in now."

As if he could hear them, Alex slowly blinked open his eyes and sat bolt upright in the bed. Sensing no danger Alex slowly laid back but kept his eyes open.

The stocky black man's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly and he sighed. Flipping as switch he called down into the room, "Sie werden Kleider in der Brust findet am Fußende des Bettes. Dress jetzt."

* * *

Alex slowly sat back up and followed the instructions to dress in the clothes he found in the chest at the foot of the bed. This apparel included bright red boxers with matching socks, a white undershirt followed by a crisp pale blue button up shit and baggy, slate colored slacks.

Alex tugged the clothes on and soon added a belt when he realized that the pants would not be kept up on their own without help.

* * *

The scrawny man currently in charge of Alex's well-being frowned when he watched Alex slide the belt around his waist and pull it closed to the second to last hole.

"What is it?" the black man asked upon noticing the other man's frown.

"We were given his measurements two and half weeks ago. These pants should have fit him without a belt. Now he has to belt them all the way just to keep them up." The geekie man half muttered half replied to the question.

The other man frowned by saying nothing more as he watched Alex run a hand through his unnaturally black hair causing the overly greased locks to stand on end ridiculously.

* * *

Alex waited for more orders, when none came he took a seat at the foot of the bed. When still nothing was said to him for quite a while, Alex threw himself back against the sheets.

"This is no way to treat a valuable agent. Even one who still doesn't get paid." Alex grumbled as he flipped himself over and pressed his face into a pillow.

Not long after Alex had fallen asleep again and the dreams returned…

* * *

_This time it was a bitter cold evening and the fair haired man stood alone on a street corner illuminated by a single street light. No, he wasn't alone, Alex realized. Yassen appeared in the picture next to the man. Then the image changed and Ash appeared grinning wickedly._

_Yassen drew a long, sharp knife and threw it with deadly accuracy at Ash. He only laughed and pulled the blade out. As he did so the knife turned into a pistol and Ash aimed at the fair hair man's chest squeezing the trigger. Just before the bullet struck the fair haired man Yassen dove in front of him and fell to the ground. Ash then approached the bleeding man and the man who hadn't moved the whole time._

_Alex watched in horror as Ash turned his head and stared into his eyes. "Gottcha'." He declared and the entire image exploded with a fiery burst._

* * *

Alex awoke with a start and rolled to the floor. Leaning again the side of the bed with his head between his knees Alex panted, trying to recover from the dream. It was one of five or so the played in his head nearly every time he slept. Every time his body tried to recover the dreams would come and mentally rip him apart. Without mental recuperation Alex's physical body was also failing.

* * *

The geekie man, the stocky man, and a new person, a young woman, watched as Alex's body thrashed about upon the bed before he awoke and rolled to the ground.

The woman was weeping silently and the black man could no longer force himself to watch. Turning away they both left the room, unable to bear Alex's suffering any longer.

"Interesting." The scrawny man muttered to an empty room as he made notes about Alex's condition on his clipboard.

* * *

"Find anything, McGee?" Gibbs asked the young man who was surrounded by televisions and note pads.

McGee glanced up with an unseeing look for a few moments before finally recognizing Gibbs and declaring, "I think I've found him!"

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow and asked, "And why is that." Not believing it could possibly be that simple.

"Because we just got a call in from an anonymous source with his location." Ziva said from behind them.

"Oh." McGee's face fell, "Well…I guess that works too." He muttered dejectedly.

This normally would have provoked a smile from Gibbs but this time was different. There was a teenager missing and Gibbs currently had no idea who the boy really was.

Nothing bothered Gibbs more than missing kids and not knowing something important. The combination of the two was killing him, he realized as he grabbed his back and ordered the team to follow him to the car.

* * *

Alex leaned his head back against the cool bed frame and wished that he'd been born into a different family. One without a father, uncle, god-father, and finally son who were all spies.

Unfortunately, you can't pick your family; and even more so, in Alex's case, he couldn't even pick his friends.


	15. New Authorization

**Chapter Fifteen:**

**New Authorization **

* * *

"Quick question, McGee..." Ziva started as she spun the wheel of the car to arrive in front of an old abandoned YMCA building.

"Yeah?" McGee asked as he climbed out of the back seat.

"How did you figure out where Max was?" Ziva finished as she tossed her long, tightly bound braid over her trim shoulder.

"Well, you see, there was a tire track in the sand over by the storm drain and I ran the print through," The slamming of Tony's door interrupted the sounds McGee was making, "Then I matched the car type to Metro-" This time the screeching of Ducky and Palmer's vehicle intervened. "Finally ran the address and found this!" McGee declared proudly, motioning towards the building.

Tony snorted. "That was nothing. Do you know how long it took me to arrange for backup to meet us here?" He asked dramatically. "A very, very, long time." Tony answered his own question.

This time it was Ziva's turn to snort in a rather unladylike manner.

* * *

Alex was just starting to feel the urge to ask for a bathroom when a loud sound boomed from the other side of the cement wall. Alex rushed towards the wooden door and began pounding.

"Max!" Called a voice faintly.

"I'm in here!" Alex shouted, trying to find a way to open the door since the handle was missing. "In here!" He shouted again when the voice didn't respond.

Alex was just starting to think he'd imagined the voice when he clearly heard Gibbs on the other side of the door, "Move away from the door, Max." Alex jumped back and to the side just as a battering ram knocked the door off its hinges.

"Took you long enough." Alex declared when NCIS agents flooded the room.

Ziva, who had been looking around for danger, now spun in Alex's direction and marched with purpose toward the teenager.

"Whoa, not so fast there, Ziva." Tony said as he caught her gingerly around the waist. Hoping that she wouldn't take too much offense and flip him thought the air.

No such luck however and Tony soon found himself staring up at a very angry trained assassin. "Please don't kill him…or me…" Tony mumbled in a high pitched, pain filled voice.

Gibbs entered the room and took one look around before shouting. "What's everyone standing around for! We need to get Max to medical attention immediately. Go!" And with those final words the hand ball court with overhead viewing room emptied of people.

* * *

"Did they find him?" The stocky black man asked into his cell phone while observing 'his dog' sniff the park bench he was seated upon.

"Yes. Safe and sound. Next level is now been authorized." A distinct British accented voice answered.

"Good. Let it be known that Level Yellow has been initiated." The first voice replied, matching the monotone of the other speaker, before hitting the end button and throwing the disposable phone into a nearby trash can. Whistling to 'his dog' the man stood and slowly jogged towards the exit of the dog park a mere half mile from the abandoned YMCA where Alex had just been discovered.

The man and dog had to halt their run towards their car when an ambulance with flashing lights roared by. The man's eyes followed the movement of the ambulance until it turned the corner. Sighing, the man picked up the pace keeping the large German shepherd at his side the whole time.

* * *

"I'm fine. Just a little hungry, that's all." Max reassured everyone as Ducky continued to poke and prod at him the whole way to the hospital assisted by an EMT in a red jacket. "No need for a full examination." Max continued as he once again tried to avoid the small light Ducky kept flashing in his eyes.

"You'll be fine as soon as you've been properly looked at." Ducky replied, leaning back and clicking the light off.

Max rolled his eyes and turned his head towards Gibbs. "Really?" Max asked sarcastically.

Gibbs only started at the teenager, willing him not to argue any longer.

"Fine! Don't answer me." Max cried, throwing his hands up and looking away, not wanting to start something with Gibbs. At least not when he wasn't at full strength.

Gibbs sighed and slowly drew out a granola bar. "Here. Eat."

Max stared at Gibbs hard before accepting the food and stuffing the whole thing in his mouth.

When he was done he glanced up, "Got any more food?" he asked.

Gibbs hid a grin, Max sounded just like the teenage boy he was under all the black makeup.

"I've got some roasted peanuts in my coat." The driver of the ambulance called back from the behind the wheel. "Here." And a thick black coat was passed back to Max.

The boy grinned and called up his thanks before ripping into the mix of raisins, peanuts, dried banana bits, and M&Ms.

When there was nothing left Max once again glance up and looked around. "You guys didn't want any…right?" he asked with wide, innocent eyes.

Ducky smiled and shook his head.

"No. You need to get your strength up. You're too skinny." Gibbs declared sounding very much like the cranky old Marine he was.

Max ducked his head, this time the embarrassment was real.

* * *

"Is it true!" Abby came running around the corner of the bullpen yelling, "Did you find him?" she asked again when McGee opened his mouth to ask what she meant.

Ziva stood and calmly approached Abby to try and calm her down. "It is true, Abby. He is fine. Completely untouched and healthy." She assured the other woman.

"Nuh-uh! Did you watch the footage? Some guy bashed in our boy's head!" Abby cried. Not even noticing the reaction her comment of 'our boy' got, she continued. "He's at the hospital, right? Gibbs took him to the hospital, right?" Abby was so anxious she was practically bouncing off the walls.

"Yes. The doctors have informed us that Max has some bruises but no permanent damage, no concussion either." McGee assured as he too reassured Abby.

"He'd better not have any damage or I'm just going to have to-!" Abby built herself all the way up without finished and stormed out of the bullpen.

Tony, who'd been in the bathroom the whole time, entered the bullpen and asked, "What?" when he saw the looks on Ziva's and McGee's faces.

"Abby just called Max, 'our boy'." McGee said quietly as Ziva returned to her seat.

"I'm sure it's nothing. She was just worked up, that's all." Ziva declared with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I'm sure." McGee mumbled as he sat down.

Tony on the other hand looked horror struck. He remained silent for a few more moments before crying, "No!" this regained both McGee's and Ziva's attention.

"What is it Tony?" Ziva asked worriedly, half rising out of her seat.

Tony shook his head, otherwise frozen before answering, "When Abby gets all worked up it only re-enforces the bond she has with people. For her to get this worked up means she already considered Max one of us, she's just now made that fact public!" Tony cried, plopping down into his chair.

Silence echoed throughout the bullpen.


	16. Yellow Paper

Alex arrived at NCIS three days later, it was the first time he'd been back since what was now being fondly referred to as _'the incident'_ had happened. Almost immediatly Alex had been mauled by a tearful Abby, a smily Palmer, and an ever watchful Ducky.

Once past the first round of admirers, Alex headed upstairs to face Gibbs and the team. It would also be the first time he'd seen any of them since_ 'the incident.'_

* * *

Gibbs phone rang and all eyes turned away from the elevator an onto their boss' phone. "He is on his way up." Ducky's voice said before ending the conversation.

"Shortest conversation I've ever had with Duck..." Gibbs muttered after he repeated Ducky's words out loud for the team to hear.

"What are we going to do with him, Gibbs?" Ziva asked as she rose and moved to stand in front of Gibbs' desk. Hands folded across her chest Ziva almost dared Gibbs to say something she wouldn't like. Gibbs rose and glared down at Ziva before moving out from around his desk and towards the stairs.

"Give him his package." Gibbs called as he ascended the stairs in the middle of the office floor.

* * *

"Hey guys! Miss me?" Alex called as he sauntered into the bullpen, hands in the pockets of his expensive wool trench coat.

"We tried really hard, but no matter what we did we couldn't quite overcome the excitement we felt when ever we thought about never seeing your face again!" Tony jeered, otherwise ignoring Alex.

"Okay then." Alex commented and took a seat behind Gibbs' desk. Leaning forward after a moment he reached out and snagged a small orange package off the top of Gibbs' mail pile. "What do we have here?"

Alex glanced around, aware that none of the team had stopped him from whisking the package out of Gibbs' pile and into his hands. Finding this odd, Alex glanced down and read his name on the label. "Oh."

Ziva snorted and continued to pound on her keyboard like it would get up and run away if she didn't press down with as much force as humanly possible for her to exert upon the object. Tony and McGee had long ago become use to this bad habit of her's and were just eternally greatuful that they weren't what she took her stress out on.

Alex glanced up before shaking his head and giving his full attention to his package. Pulling a pocket knife out of Gibbs' desk Alex slit open the package and peered inside, not quite knowing what to expect.

"Well, that sure is interesting." Alex commented, using his real voice. The one that identified him clearly as British and a teenager.

Shocked, the team gave Alex their full attention.

"Just a plain piece of yellow paper!" Alex cried with a cocky grin. As if to prove his story Alex held up the piece of paper, flipping it so the team could clearly see both sides, before he shook the package over the ground to prove its emptiness.

"Hmm..." Ziva mumbled thoughtfully and got up from her desk. She too examined the package, inside and out before tucking it under her arm and retrieving the yellow paper from Alex's fingertips. Not that he tried to stop her. In fact, Alex held the paper out to her, daring Ziva to take it for further examination. "It appears to be a plain piece of yellow destruction paper in a plain envelope with no return address."

Ziva was about to say more when Tony and McGee interrupted her at the exact same moment with the exact same words. "_Con_struction paper, Ziva."

"Yes, well, the question here is why this yellow paper means to you... why you suddenly give up your disguised voice and start speaking with an accent." Ziva got nose to nose with Alex and peered into his still green eyes.

"I did it because I was having crummy luck with the ladies." Alex whispered loudly. Ziva recoiled and Tony burst into bellows of laughter. McGee smiled and shook his head, careful not to make eye contact with Ziva. Alex merely continued to grin, knowing that despite his seemingly unwashed hair that his smile had a devastating effect on women of all ages.

Ziva muttered several somethings in several other language as she marched back to her chair, carefully avoiding looking any of the men surrounding her in the eye. Ziva was trying and succeeding to not make it too obvious that she was deeply embarrassed by her _reaction_ to Alex's words.

* * *

"Did you manage to dig anything up, Leon?" Gibbs asked as he barged right into the director's office unannounced.

Director Vance glanced up, perplexed by neither Gibbs' entrance nor his question. "What ever is out there on this kid is protected so well that I had to have seventeen firewalls put up to block a shutdown and erase command-"

"Seventeen isn't that many." Gibbs argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Director Vance held his hands up and stood. "Let me finish." Gibbs didn't move a muscle, he remained as stoic and unmovable as before. "Seventeen firewalls to block just _one_ inquiry into who this 'Max Payton' is." Vance finished and stared at Gibbs' seemingly unfazed form.

Gibbs nodded and left the office. He made it all the way to the top of the stairs before shouting for McGee.

McGee of course rushed to follow Gibbs into the elevator that Gibbs immediately shut down once the doors closed.

"Yeah, boss?" McGee asked after a semi long silence.

"Is seventeen firewalls to block one shutdown command as huge as I think it is?" Gibbs asked after a moment.

McGee's stunned face answered the question.

"That's what I thought." Gibbs muttered angrily and turned the elevator back on before hitting the open button and striding back into the bullpen with McGee hot on his heels.

Gibbs stood in front of his desk and glared down at Max. "Who the hell are you!" He shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. Not just Gibbs team but everyone on the same floor and the catwalk above.

"Max Pay-" Max began as he stood and was silenced when a fist was slammed into his jaw.


	17. Poor Woman

Gibbs glared at the young man in front of him; 'Max Payton'. It was killing him that he didn't know who the kid was and it seemed impossible to figure out his identity. Punching Max in the face was only suppose to make Gibbs feel better... unfortunately it did just the opposite.

Gibbs watched, almost as if he was an onlooker rather than the person beating up a teenager as his fist connected with the left side of Max's jaw. Gibbs watched as the kid's head snapped to the side and he, amazingly, remained standing.

Max reached up his left hand and gently felt his jaw, he face remained averted as he did so.

Meanwhile, Ziva had jumped up in the background and was now ready to dive across the desk to protect Max by tackling him to the floor. Tony and McGee had also stood but were at Gibbs' back; not to give him support, but to grab him if he tried to pummel Max any further.

Gibbs' shoulders slowly lost their tension as he stared in horror at what he'd done.

Finally Max turned his face back towards Gibbs and his hand dropped away so that everyone could see that the swelling had already begun.

Silence filled the room as people anxiously awaited either Gibbs' or Max's next move.

Gibbs had opened his mouth to say something, anything to break the silence; but Max beat him to it. "If you wanted me out of your chair that badly you could have just asked." Was all the teenager said before he crossed out from behind the desk and made his way to the elevator. Leaving silence and stillness in his wake.

Tony, McGee, and Ziva all shared a worried looks as Gibbs remained frozen, allowing Max to make it inside the elevator until the doors shut.

"What have I done?" Gibbs whispered, asking himself the question more than looking for a reply for anyone else.

Stunned, and entire floor of NCIS fell into stunned silence.

* * *

Once inside the elevator Alex allowed the pain to wash over him. Squeezing his eyes shut he leaned against one of the walls until the doors slid open upon arrival at main floor. Alex sprang up from his relaxed position and moved gracefully out the doors of NCIS.

Alex hailed a cab and gave the cabbie directions to his hotel. "Park View on 64th." The quiet black man behind the wheel simply nodded and shifted the car out of park, pulling into the quiet traffic of mid afternoon.

Upon arrival Alex dashed up to his room and quickly disguised himself before leaving and locking his room. Alex sauntered out the front door or the hotel and didn't fail to miss the that taxi that had brought him there was still parked outside.

"Damn." Alex muttered and headed for a nearby park.

For the next two hours when every anyone passed by the fountain at the center of the public park all they saw was a regular looking teenage boy sitting there, seemingly preoccupied with something only a teenager could be.

Those two hours went by and the man following Alex gave up and decided to drive around the block so he could heat his car up. Positive he hadn't been made the black man shifted his taxi into drive and whizzed out of site. Under two minutes later the car pulled into a different spot only to find Alex gone.

The driver of the vehicle let out a stream of obscenities and made a call to his superior. "I lost him."

Meanwhile, Alex had traded hats and jackets with another teenage boy and was wandering through the park going in a different direction in the midst of about twelve or so other teenage boys. Alex was amazed that with his greasy black hair and bruised jaw that he fit in with a group of ruffians out trolling for trouble.

* * *

About half an hour later the group had shrunk to five and had swept the entire park looking for something, what the something was Alex wasn't quite sure of yet.

And when he was sure he realized that he'd made a mistake in sticking with the group of boys... and yet, Alex couldn't bring himself to regret his choice especially not after the outcome.

"Hey, pretty mama!" Called one of the boys, the oldest and the biggest.

A young mother with her baby carriage sat reading peacefully on a park bench; trying to enjoy the last few hours of the day by relaxing in a public park. The woman was seated on a bench in as secluded area with no else around. She had probably been looking for quite place to read and discovered the sheltered beach in the middle of some bushes off the main path.

When the woman glanced up she saw five teenage boys; the all looked dangerous and the one that had spoken had a glint in his eyes the the woman instinctively knew to be afraid of. "What do you what?" The woman asked, trying to sound confident and forceful but coming off as scared and alone.

"I think you can guess." Another boy stepped forwards and stood shoulder to shoulder with the leader of the group.

"I think she already has guess and is now looking forward to it." A third boy spoke and took a step forward.

"I agree." The forth boy joined his pals and the woman was almost in tears.

"Please, do whatever you want with me but please don't hurt my baby." The young woman pleaded with the five emotionless faces. Trying to met each boy's eyes.

"Oh, don't worry, all we want is you." The first boy spoke again and took another step forward. "All we need is you." And another step. "And I'm going to have you first." And with those words the boy reached out and grabbed the woman's shoulder, shoving her roughly to the ground.

But before the boy could follow suit his attention was caught by something behind him. Spinning the boy was faced with his three friends lying on the ground and a foot aimed directly for his throat.

The mother watched as her would by attackers fell to the ground one by one and then her attacker landed with a soft thud right in front of her. The woman stared up at the fifth boy, the only one that hadn't stepped forwards and waited for him to do something.

When nothing happened the woman scrambled to her feet and dove for her baby's carriage; but before she could take a step a hand reached out and stopped her.

The woman turned and prepared to fight. It was only one, after all, surly she could defend herself against one... But it turned out that she didn't have to.

The boy simply shove her book into her hands and gave her a gentle push towards the main path.

The woman glanced back only once to find the boy standing, almost protectively, between her and the four boys laying unconscious on the ground.

"Maybe I wouldn't have been able to fight him off..." The woman mussed hysterically as she rushed for her car and cell phone to call her husband.

* * *

Alex jogged to the motel where he'd rented a room and collapsed on the bed nearest the bathroom.

The teenager wished he had enough emotion left in him to cry but found that he couldn't. He'd been scared far too many times and far to deeply to weep. Even for a young woman that would now live in fear every time she thought or visited a public park. That is, if she ever again entered a park.

Alex had done his best to make sure there was nothing tying himself nor the woman to the scene where four boys lay unconscious. This allowed him anonymity and the woman the opportunity to either call and tell the police what had happened or forget the whole thing and get on with her life.

Apparently she'd done a little of both because the ten o'clock news told the story of an anonymous caller reporting four would be attackers. When police arrived at the scene two boys had already fled but the remaining two were found with several kilos of cocaine and with jail time looming over their heads almost immediately gave up their two other accomplices.

Amazingly, the anonymous caller only listed four attackers. Alex could find no mention of a fifth.

"Poor woman." Alex muttered and closed his eyes, exhausted beyond belief.

* * *

**I'm not really sure where I pulled this chapter out of... but okay. **

**I didn't think it was _all_**** that bad... **

**But go ahead and tell me what you thought.**


	18. Amber Alert

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!**

**Happy New Year to any and all reading this!**

**

* * *

**

It was a quiet next couple of days in NCIS. With Max gone for who knew how long Director Vance had declared that Gibbs' team could and would return to work. A dead marine later and the team had solved two cases in one. This should have been satisfying... but it oddly wasn't, discovered the entire team.

Ziva _miss_ed the challenge of trying to figure out Max.

Tony _miss_ed not being the only one who was brave enough to taunt Ziva.

McGee _miss_ed the growing friendship he'd started to develop with the other young man.

Palmer _miss_ed Max because he was the first teenager that wasn't creeped out by what he did for a living.

Ducky _miss_ed the young English man because he was the first person under the age of seventy that was willing to hear his long and usually pointless stories without interrupting him.

Abby _miss_ed who she considered to be the newest team member because, even though the others weren't fully aware of it, Max brightened their days and never failed to put a smile on their faces.

And Gibbs, he didn't particularly miss Max.... no, he disliked the problem the kid caused too much for that. Gibbs merely _regrett_ed Max's absence because he was smart enough to see how much everyone around him missed Max.

Alex on the other hand, he didn't miss Max at all.

* * *

"Hello... Mr. Jones." The man behind the front desk of a cheap D.C. motel room said as Alex handed him the paperwork he'd just completed. "Here's the key. Room 207. To the left and then take a right." The man handed Alex a manual lock key before waving towards and door that connected to a hallway.

Alex nodded his thanks before grabbing his single bag that he'd snuck out of his NCIS provided hotel room. It was the day after the morning Gibbs had sucker punched Max, and Alex still hadn't forgiven him enough to put the whole thing behind him and get on with the mission. Alex knew that as soon as he managed to calm down enough he would be perfectly alright with returning to NCIS, but for the time being Alex were happy he was still young enough to sulk.

* * *

A total of six days past with no word from Max. If people hadn't been worried before they certainly were now.

"Do you think we call for an Amber Alert?" Ziva asked Tony.

Tony shook his head. "No. We already know that his eye color, hair color, and name are fake. What would we be having people search for? A runaway teen that Federal Agents know nothing about?"

"I see your point." Ziva replied and laid her head against Tony's shoulder, she was exhausted. The entire team had just spent the last four and a half days chasing down leads in a difficult case that had ended up being linked to another unsolved NCIS case, the homicide of a Navy Staff Sergeant.

Ziva closed her eyes and was asleep within moments; Tony knew that if moved, even slightly, the she would wake up and move away. So instead of gently shoving the woman off of him Tony tilted his head and buried his noise in Ziva's hair.

* * *

What did Alex do for those six days he wasn't at NCIS? Well you already know that he rescued a woman and checked into a motel room... but what did he do after that?

The answer: A whole lot of nothin'.

Alex managed to sleep off most to the six days, only occasionally waking to disguise himself and run himself into the ground before returning to his room and collapsing on the bed only to sleep again due to the utter exhaustion he was inflicting upon himself. Even less often than going for a jog, as Alex like to call his sprints across the city, Alex would rise for the sole purpose of eating.

In total, Alex when for a 'jog' nine time and he ate twice.

Finally, on the seventh day, Alex realized that his water bottle supply was dwindling.

Sighing, the wronged teen decided that it was time to return to NCIS and get on with this mission. After all, he wouldn't be allowed home until the job he was sent to do was completed.

* * *

Abby was sitting in her silent lab, GASP, contemplating the fact that she hadn't turned her music back on since she'd gotten a call from McGee that Max was gone. As she was sitting and thinking her phone started ringing. After the fifth ring or so Abby finally cried, "Alright! I'll answer you!" And hit a button on the front of the black electrical devise.

"Hello, Abby's lab, Abby speaking." Abby mumbled into the receiver.

"Abby? It that you? You don't sound too good... you gettin' sick or something?" A young British voice asked.

Abby opened her mouth and was about to demand who the caller was when she realized the identity of the person on the other end. "Max?" She asked, trying not to get her hopes up just in case she was wrong.

"Yeah. Hey, I'll be droppin' by later this afternoon. Could you inform the team for me? You know, update them on my status."

Abby burst into tears as she agreed to Max's request and then hit another button on the phone.

"Abby! What is it? What's wrong?" McGee cried as he saw Abby crying and rushed to her side. "Abby?" He asked again, his eyes searching for some sort of harm that had befallen the woman.

"He's coming back! He's coming back, McGee!"

McGee stared into Abby's eyes, awestruck because there was no doubt in his mind just who Abby was talking about... and that worried him.

* * *

**Last chapter of this story for this year!!!!!!!!**

**Sorry, I really love New Years **

**Believe it or not (but why wouldn't you?) New Years is my favorite holiday**


	19. Welcome Back

**I guess I hadn't thought about this until I read a particularly nice review but I suppose that this chapter means I was the first (of these particular crossovers) to update for the NEW YEAR!**

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* * *

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Alex withdrew his hands from his leather jacket pockets just before the elevator doors slid open; nearly before he was out a woman threw herself at him and began crying.

"Oh Max, I can't believe you up and left us like that! Everyone missed you soooo much!"

"Alright, Abby. I promise to never again do anything that stupid nor childish." Alex replied, just barely remembering to use his real accent and not the American one he'd had to practice for weeks.

"It's true! You do have a sexy British accent!" Abby said saucily as she drew back, keeping her hands on Alex's shoulders. "Abby like-ie." She smiled and linked her arm through one of his before guiding him towards the bullpen. "Max is back!" She screamed unnessasarily since as soon as the doors had opened everyone on the floor and catwalk above had been alerted to Alex's presence.

"Good to have you back, kid." Tony said as he stood and gripped Alex's hand firmly before dropping it and sliding back into his chair behind his desk.

"Things returned to normal while you were away..." Ziva said as she too stood and came to the front of her desk to stand before Alex. "I, for one, have never liked normal." She finished and hugged Alex before stepping back.

It was McGee's turn and the youngest member of the team simply stood and tried to smile as he shook Alex's hand. "You aren't mad at me, are you Tim?" Alex asked, his ever laughing eyes making it hard for McGee to know if Alex was being serious or if he was just trying to get a rise out of him.

"No, I'm not mad-" McGee started but was cut off by Gibbs.

"I was the one who was mad. I hope you will accept my apology." Gibbs said as he rounded his desk to stand before Alex, extending his hand.

Alex stared down at the hand for a long time before he shifted his gaze to Gibbs' eyes and grinned cheekily. "Why not?" He asked rhetorically and gripped Gibbs' hand just long enough to bring both their clasped hands up and then down in a single powerful motion. Alex then dropped Gibbs' hand and he and Abby headed back to the elevator to go and say 'hi' to Ducky and Palmer.

Gibbs stared after the boy in horror; he was smart enough to realize that Alex wouldn't have stayed away for so long, or at all if he hadn't been upset and hurt. Not physically hurt, there wasn't even a bruise marring the perfection of Alex's jaw as far as Gibbs could tell; by hurt mentally, maybe even emotionally.

It was hard to know. "After all, Max is just a teenager. No one understands teenagers. Even teenagers don't understand teenagers." Gibbs grumbled angrily as he headed for the other elevator. Not feeling like waiting for the one Alex and Abby had take to come back up.

* * *

"Hello?" Alex called as he entered the morgue.

"Max!" Palmer exclaimed as he saw Alex. Rushed towards him Palmer slammed into Alex, wrapping his arms around him in a hug that would have nocked a normal teenager over.

"Jimmy! Move back and give the lad so space to breathe!" Ducky shooed Palmer off and just far enough back so that he could take his place hugging Alex.

"So much for air." Alex commented rather dryly, his comment would have seemed rude if not for the smile the was painted across his young face making it impossible for almost anyone who saw it to feel angry at him while he wore it.

"I have found that most of those in this room do not need air." Ducky replied, patting Alex on the chest instead of the cheeks due to his great height of six foot five and still growing.

Alex threw back his head and laughed. Ducky was the only one that saw the gesture for what it was; hysteria from stress and lack of rejuvenation... sleep.

* * *

Alex had made his rounds, visiting everyone including Director Vance. He mostly got warm '_welcome backs_' and happy smiles as people hugged him. Alex was glad that people had genuinely missed him... _But boy was it exhausting. _Alex thought as he crashed on a couch in the room with vending machines.

"Ahh," He groaned and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling for a second before his also unnaturally black eyelashes slowly blinked once before drifting shut.

Gibbs watched at Alex laid back and closed his eyes, waiting for him to relax and fall asleep. After a moment Alex did fall asleep... but he didn't relax. Gibbs frowned and watched for a few more minutes until he was satisfied that the boy was not going to relax.

Reaching into his pocket he drew out his cell phone and called Ducky. "Max needs help. We're up by the vending machines." Gibbs said into the phone and without waiting for a reply he snapped the device shut and slipped it back into his pocket.

Gibbs was about to turn and walk away when Alex began shifting around on the couch. Gibbs stayed back, not sure what to do and almost wasn't able to make it to the teenagers side when he started thrashing and nearly threw himself to the ground. "Whoa, whoa Max." Gibbs muttered as he laid a hand in the center of Alex's chest, effectively forcing him to remain on the couch.

"I'm he-" Ducky called as he rushed into the room and saw Alex's twitching body and Gibbs standing over him. "This isn't good at all!" Ducky mumbled and started down at Alex.

"Is there anything we can do?" Gibbs asked, really meaning, "Why aren't you doing anything right now at this very second."

Ducky shook his head and continued to stared mournfully down at Max. "I would say he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder but these symptoms aren't quite right for that."

Gibbs' eyes flew to Ducky's face. "Then what's wrong with him?"

* * *

**I think some of the characters might have been slightly out of character but umm... yeah, I don't care.**

**This is the way I thought they would react in this situation.**

**I have no way of knowing if this is how they truly would react or not.**


	20. Getting Stabbed

Alex was having another nightmare, only this time he didn't wake up...

_"Alex! Alex save me!" A voice pleaded with Alex as he desperately ran towards the call. "I don't want to die!" The voice was now sobbing, their words barely discernible. "Alex, please..." The voice slowly died off before coming back in the form of a tortured scream. After what seemed like an eternity there was a loud crunch and the screaming stopped. _

_Alex, who had frozen mid strike when the stream began and fell to his knees when it stopped, now let out a cry of his own. "Tom!" Alex's head bowed and he dropped to all fours, the tears spilling from his eyes in unstoppable waves of sadness. _

_"It's all your fault, Alex Rider." Tom's voice hailed from above. _

_"Tom?" Alex asked, his face shooting upwards to find where Tom's voice was coming from. "Tom! Where are you? What do you mean by my fault?" Alex cried, rising to his feet. "Tom!" _

_"Right here, Alex." Tom whispered from just behind Alex, who spun around to face the other boy who'd he thought was dead. "My death, Alex." _

_Alex opened his mouth to commented on Tom's life and death status. "You aren't dead." When Tom gave Alex a blank look Alex pushed on. "How could you be talking to me if you were dead? Hmm?"_

_Tom grinned evilly before answering. "I assured you Alex, I am dead. And my death was excruciatingly painful."_

_Alex stared at Tom for a moment before shaking his head and saying. "Okay, just for a moment lets say I do believe you're dead... what would that have to do with me?" Alex asked, raising a very pale brown eyebrow. _

_Tom threw back his head and laughed for all he was worth. "Why, dear Alex, you are the very reason, the only reason I might add, that I am dead." Tom replied with a smirk before unsheathing a long dagger and plunging it directly into Alex's gut. Tom leaned in and whispered in Alex's ear, "Suffer like your god-father suffered. You are just like him."_

_"No!" Alex tried to cry but all that came out was a feeble whimper. _No! No! NO!_ Alex's mind screamed in agony as Tom let him drop to the muddy warehouse floor. _

_"Ta ta, Alex!" Tom shouted cheerfully as he withdrew the blade causing blood to spurt in every direction. "Hope you can make it to the game next Monday." The man who'd stabbed Alex, the man Alex refused to think of as Tom sounded so happy and carefree... he sounded just like Tom would if he were still alive. _

_"He died. He died. He died." Alex chanted to himself as he tried to stop the blood from gushing out of his body. "He can't kill me. He can't kill me if he's already dead. Those screams I heard were his. Tom is dead. Tom is dead. I'm not going to die. I'm not going to die." Alex was panting and barely able to get the words out when bright lights flashed in front of his eyes. Alex tried to look away, tried to not be blinded by the lights but was finding it hard. _

_Finally Alex gave up and stared directly into the light. Hearing voices Alex tried to concentrate on them. _

_"Max! Max can you hear me?" A man's voice called from a great distance. The voice was so gentle, drawling him closer; it wasn't long before Alex felt like he was standing right next to the speaker. "Max, listen to me, you need to wake up. You need to wake up now, Max." _

_Alex was listening, and he was trying to do what the voice asked him to do, but it was so hard. Fighting, Alex pushed past the pain of the dagger wound and blinked open his eyes. '_

"Gibbs?" Was the first thing Alex asked. "What the hell are you doing so close to me!" He exclaimed grumpily, not fully awake yet.

* * *

Ducky and Gibbs shared a glance before Gibbs turned back to the teenager fighting to sit up. "What's wrong? Why are you holding your side like that?" Gibbs asked as he noticed Max putting pressure on his mid section as if his life depended on it.

"Got stabbed." Max mumbled, still not awake.

Ducky reacted immediately and removed Max's hand and lifted his shirt. There was no stab wound and no scar, only a red mark that Max's hand had just left from the amount of pressured he'd placed there to stop the imaginary bleeding.

"Good thinking. You held off the bleeding long enough for the doctor to get to your and stitch you back up. You're fine now." Gibbs mumbled into Max's ear.

Max smiled and his eyes drooped and he nodded off to sleep once again.

"Do you think we should wake him back up?" Gibbs asked Ducky.

The older man glanced at Gibbs before straightening and shaking his head. "No. He needs to rest... although this form of sleeping isn't getting him the rest he needs." Ducky muttered and turned to go. "Figure out a way to have a real doctor examine him because I just won't cut it from here on out. Please Jethro, the boy needs help and you're the only person he can count on right now."

Gibbs stared after Ducky and then finally returned his gaze to Max's slumbering form. "Alright. I guess I can put my dislike of you behind me long enough to get you some help." Gibbs leaned down and patted Max's head once more before crossing the room to take a seat in a chair with a clear view of Max.


	21. Snaggy Getdown

**Next Chappie**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Alex opened his eyes and sat up. "Hey," He said as he noticed Gibbs watching him from across the room.

"You're awake." Gibbs commented.

Alex grinned and pivoted so that his feet were back on the ground. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Do you want to know what time it is?" Gibbs asked as he folded his newspaper and pulled his glasses off his noise.

"It's four thirty. I've been asleep since ten thirty." Alex said as he stood.

Gibbs raised and eyebrow questioningly. "And how would you know that?" He asked, his curiosity about the kid getting the better of him.

"I know I fell asleep at about ten thirty and I've long since trained my body to sleep for six hours and then wake up." Alex finished, not caring if Gibbs believe him or not.

"I see." Gibbs said as he watched Alex stretch out his arms, legs, and neck.

"You know, NCIS should invest in some new couches. This one sucks." Alex said and grinned before leaving the room.

"Hey, you need a ride back to your hotel room?" Gibbs called after Alex.

Alex stopped and turned around. "_You_ know, that _I_ know, that _you_ know, I haven't been sleeping at the hotel... so why bother giving me a ride there?" Alex asked, hands on hips.

"I guess I thought that you'd prefer not wasting money for the taxi fair." Gibbs replied, folding his arms across his chest.

Alex smiled slightly and nodded. "Sure, why not. See you in a half an hour." The teenager called over his shoulder as he headed back to the bullpen until it was time for everyone to leave.

Gibbs watched the kid go, still plotting how to get him to a doctor without him realizing that was the intent and taking off for another week.

* * *

Gibbs dropped Alex off out front of the hotel and watched until he was inside before driving away. He'd called off all the agents whose job it was to try and follow Alex to wherever he was really staying.

"Why?" Gibbs remembered one of the newer agents asking him when he'd given the order.

"Because he's good enough to know when you're following him and smart enough to evade you. Might was well stop wasting government money." Gibbs had told the man.

"How can he be that _good_ and that _smart_? He's just a kid! Right?" The man had asked Gibbs as if trying to catch him in a lie.

"We know nothing about Max. Not his real name. Not his real eye color. Not even exactly where he's from. We don't know where he was trained. Who trained him. Nothing. We know nothing about this _kid_. That's how he is so good and smart." Gibbs had gotten right in the young agents face and rubbed it in.

The young man had finally back down after several more moment of Gibbs' angry eyes capturing his in a deadly trap.

"Good boy." Gibbs whispered and dismissed all seven of the alternating agents he'd placed on Alex.

* * *

"Welcome back Mr. Jones." This time it was a young woman seated behind the counter as Alex entered the lobby of the motel.

"Night, Sarah." Alex had muttered without looking at the woman.

Unfortunately this had been the wrong thing to to because the woman actually swooned and fell out of her chair.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked as he helped her upright.

"You know my name!" The woman, who Alex realized was really nothing more than a girl, squealed in sheer delight.

"Um, I've got to go." Alex stammered and sprinted towards his room. "Give me twenty armed drug dealers and I'm cool as ice... give me a squealing girl that is exuberant that I even know her name and I'm as good as dead." Alex muttered as he stripped and showered before pulling on his boxers and climbing into bed for the night.

It was ten o'clock before sleep actually overcame Alex.

At four the next morning Alex woke and changed back into his disguise before jogging back to his hotel and showering again.

Finally he changed into his grey slacks, navy button up shirt with black tie, and grey jacket before calling a cab and having it pick him up to take him to NCIS.

* * *

"Lookin' good, Max. What's the occasion?" McGee asked Max as the teenager entered the bullpen and took a seat on the corner of Tony's desk.

"What?" Max asked as he glanced down at the suit.

"My, don't you look snaggy today." Ziva commented. When all three men gave her a blank look she sighed and described the work she wanted, "You know, classy... slick..." Ziva trailed off, desperatly trying to find the correct word.

Max snapped and pointed at Ziva. "Snazzy!" He guessed.

"Yes! Snazzy, you look snazzy in the getdown." Ziva said with a smile as Max and Tony high fived.

Once again she got blank looks but Max leaned back and whispered something to Tony that sent them both into great bellows of laughter.

"I bet you're right, Maxie." Tony said and went back to his email.

McGee noticed Max's frown and wondered what had put it there.

"I've never had a nickname before." Max said as he appeared out of thin air at McGee's shoulder.

"Oh." McGee said lamely, trying to act as if Max's little appearing act hadn't spooked him as much as it had.

Max grinned as if he knew exactly what McGee was thinking before retaking his seat on Tony's desk.

"Why don't you go sit at Gibbs' desk like you always do?" Tony grumbled half heartedly. Everyone in the bullpen froze and all eyes turned to Tony. "What?" He asked as soon as he realized that everyone was now staring at him.

"Do you not remember what happened last time?" McGee asked, clearly horrified Tony would even suggest such a thing.

Tony glanced between Max and Gibbs' desk before nodding. "Right. I'd forgotten." He said and rolled his shoulders uncomfortable.

"It's fine. I'll move." Max said after another minutes and lowered himself to the floor. Now all eyes were on him. "It's fine." Max said and everyone went back to work after a minute.

Gibbs entered the bullpen a few minutes later and looked around, his eyes landing on his empty desk chair. "Where's Max?" He asked.

Tony and Ziva both looked up at him before looking at each other and McGee's eyes drifted to a spot on the floor at the side of Tony's desk.

Gibbs walked around Tony's desk just in time to get a glimpse of Max on the floor before the boy sprang to his feet and grinned. "Hey, Gibbs!" He said cheerfully as if there was nothing wrong with sitting on the floor at work.

Gibbs opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.

Max continued to grin and his eyes twinkled unnaturally. The boy's eyes looked like freshly polished emeralds; deep green and marvelous in shine.


	22. Daily Special

**Almost fifty reviews! **

**Person who posts the fiftieth review get a special prize!**

**(Not really... I mean, what the heck would I give you?)**

* * *

It had been another week since the 'Gibbs punch Max in face' incident and Alex was still using his normal accent. It had actually gotten to the point where no one even noticed it any longer.

"Do you want something to eat from the Thai place down the street, Max?" Tony asked as he was placing an order over the phone.

"Yeah, whatever their special for the day is." Alex said as he turned another page in the book he was reading about the Arabic language that Ziva had given him to stop him from constantly buying car magazines.

Tony nodded and finished placing the order before hanging up. "Okay, I place the order so I don't have to go get it. I'm thinking of a number between one and one thousand." He said gallantly.

"Five." Alex muttered, unceasingly.

"Nine hundred." McGee called from the stairs as he went to drop off some papers.

"Six zero two." Ziva replied and stared at Tony.

Tony's mouth dropped open and he stared back at Ziva in utter shock. "Who'd you do that?" He asked in awe.

"You always pick six hundred two." Ziva replied and smiled at Alex. "You've go to go get the food." She said and motioned towards the elevator.

Alex sighed and stood up off the floor. "Where the money?" He asked and was handed the team credit card. "See you in a bit." He mumbled and sauntered towards the stairs without a care in the world.

Oddly, none of the team thought twice about allowing Alex to leave with a credit card and not specified time of return. Even Alex didn't think this was out of the usually, in fact, this was the third time he'd had to go get the food from one place or another.

* * *

"Where's Max?" Gibbs asked as he entered the bullpen.

"He went to go get the Thai food." Tony mumbled as he typed another word into the online paper work he was filling out.

"How long as he been gone?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva glanced at the clock on her computer. "Fifteen minutes and twenty three seconds." She replied without missing a beat.

"Is the normal?" Gibbs asked worriedly, not because he wasn't sure if Max would come back but because Max had an unusual knack for getting himself into trouble. The kid also had a knack for getting himself out of trouble too... that fact was not easily forgotten.

"For the Thai place?" Tony asked absent mindedly. "Yeah, it can take up to half an hour to get through the line not to mention the walk there and back. " Tony mumbled ash he hit _save_ and then _send_ on the paper he'd just finished filling out.

"Oh." Gibbs said and continued to stand in front of his desk.

"Do you want us to call him?" McGee, who'd returned a while ago, asked hesitantly.

"No. We can trust Max." Gibbs replied and took as seat behind his desk.

* * *

Meanwhile Alex had picked up the food and made it out the door at the Thai place before checking the bag to make sure everything Tony had ordered was inside.

Alex mentally checked the cartons off. "Good, good, good... alright then." He said as he came across a men's duel shampoo and conditioner bottle with a slip of blue construction paper taped to the side. Alex carefully removed the paper and tossed it into a nearby garbage can before replacing it in the brown paper bag. "I guess I'm cleared for level Blue." Alex muttered as he walked briskly back to NCIS.

* * *

A man, who had also been picking up food from the Thai restaurant, watched as Alex found the bottle and the listened to what he'd said upon turning the bottle around and discovering the blue paper.

"Good to go." He murmured into his cell phone before hanging up and tossing it into the trash.

The man made his way back to his car and drove to an apartment building just across from the motel Alex was spending his nights at.

He'd just gotten in the door when his phone rang. "Hello?" The man asked, using a New York Bronx accent.

"Level Blue?" The speaker asked.

"Umm, I think you have the wrong number..." The first man said unsure of himself.

"Good... continue." The second speaker said.

"Umm, okay sir, bye."

* * *

Max arrived back at NCIS and handed out the food with a grin on his face.

"What is it, Max?" Tony asked after a moment.

"You know how you're always complaining that the girl who works at the counter keeps turning you down?" Max said as he continued to grin at Tony.

"Yeah... why?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Because she just gave me her number! And I didn't even have to ask." Max said with a flourish and a laugh when the noodle Tony had been trying to eat fell out of his mouth.

"Ahh, poor Tony." Ziva jeered and dug into her food with a smirk.

McGee openly laughed in the background and even Gibbs was chuckling as Tony continued to stare in slack jawed wonder at Max.

"You're amazing, kid." Tony finally said and shut his mouth, then he reopened it and glanced back up at Max. "Hey-"

"No, Tony. It's my number now." Max said with another grin, knowing what Tony had been about to ask.

Tony looked down, abashed before smiling widely. "That's okay, there's always coffee shop girl..." And trailed off when Max grinned again. "Not her too!" Tony cried in horror.

"Four days ago." Max said and smiled as he sunk to the floor to eat his Daily Special.


	23. Brown Hair

**Wow, I love this story I've updated three times today and twice yesterday. **

**That makes five updates for this year!**

**I'd like to point out when I wrote this it was January second.**

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That evening Alex once again allowed Gibbs to drop him off at his hotel rather than talking a cab like he usually did. It really wasn't so bad, spending time with Gibbs. Actually, Alex discovered, if Gibbs hadn't hated him so much from the get go Alex probably would have turned to him as the replacement for his uncle. Unfortunately, Gibbs had done nothing to earn that position in Alex's mind and the spot stayed empty, perhaps forever.

Alex climbed the stair to the fourth floor before using his key card to enter his room. Once inside Alex dropped his backpack on the never slept in bed and unzipped the main compartment. "I wonder how the team is going to react to this..." Alex murmured as he ran this thumb over the glossy side of the bottle he now held in his hand. "I guess only time will tell." He said and tossed the bottle back onto the bed before stripping and throwing all of his clothes to either the floor or a nearby chair. The articles that landed on the chair were the ones that had been lucky shots in the dark as Alex wildly tossed his clothes this way and that.

Finally, Alex retrieved the bottle and headed into the bathroom to take a relaxing shower.

When Alex first stepped out of the showered the mirror was all fogged up and Alex had to swipe a hand across the surface in order to see himself. "Hmm, not bad. Still not me... but not bad." Alex muttered as the image in front of him consisted of a man with curly _brown_ hair instead of straight, greasy _black_ hair. "I wonder if it'll go back to blond the more I shower." Alex continued to talk to himself as he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom.

That night Alex forgoed the disguising and running and slept in the hotel; the bed was better which should have meant he got more sleep but he didn't. As always, the dreams came and Alex got hardly a wink of sleep.

* * *

Some where on the other side of the city another man was also lying in his bed dreaming. His dreams, oddly, consisted of much of the same things as Alex. The man was dreaming about bad things happening to Max; shooting, beating, stabbing, and even drowning. The man wasn't dreaming of doing these things to Max, no, he was dreaming about not being able to stop others as _they_ did these things to Max.

Needless to say neither Gibbs didn't get much more sleep than the person he was dreaming about did, that night.

* * *

The next morning Ziva arrived at exactly four minutes past 7 o'clock and prepared to apologize to Gibbs... only he wasn't there.

Tony and McGee both rushed in, pushing each other out of the way as the came, about six minutes later.

"Whew, Gibbs isn't here yet!" Tony commented as McGee fell into his chair, relieved. "Wait... Gibbs isn't here!" Tony shouted and glanced around in horror.

"I'm right here, DiNozzo." Gibbs called as he arrived ten minutes late.

"Hey, boss. I didn't see you there." Tony tried to recover from the shook of getting to work before Gibbs.

"Didn't see who there?" Alex asked as he entered the bullpen and dropped his stuff on the ground next to where he usually sat.

"Gib- what the hell happened to your hair?" Tony demanded as Alex sat down.

"I washed it." Alex said as he reached up to feel the strand of hair that always managed to hang in his eyes.

"Yes. Yes you did." Ziva whispered and shared an inside look with Tony.

Alex frowned, not liking the sound of Ziva's voice. But after a second he shrugged slightly and let it go. It's not like there was anything he could do about Ziva anyways.

"Are you ready to continue on with training?" Ziva asked, coming out from around her desk to stand above Alex.

The teenager glanced up and grinned. "Of course." Ever since Alex had come back to NCIS after getting punch, Ziva had started taking him down to the gym every morning for some one on one training. So far Alex came up covered in bruises every morning... but give the kid some credit, Ziva had gotten a few bruises of her own over the days.

"Good. I believe that with the rate at which you have been improving you will soon be better than even I." Ziva said as she and Alex headed for the elevator.

"Ten and four." Tony commented as soon as the two were inside the elevator and the doors had safely slid shut.

"Nah, twelve and three, wait, two." McGee amended.

Gibbs sighed but let Tony and McGee place bets on how many bruises Alex and Ziva would receive this particular morning, respectively.

* * *

"So... how many bruises d'you get today?" Tony asked coyly as Max and Ziva reentered the bullpen an two and a half hours later.

"Only eight!" Max said with a smile as he fingered rather nasty bruise already forming on the upper part of his exposed arm.

"Surprisingly, five." Ziva admitted, she'd changed back into her work clothes. Max on the other hand had stayed in his gym clothes: a t-shirt with the almost the entire shirt cut off down the sides starting that the shoulders and ending only a few inches before the waist of the side. This style of shirt exposed all of his arms including his shoulders and the sides of his torso where another bruise was clearly visible. Every inch of Max's skin that was visible was perfectly tanned; Gibbs had notice this the first time Max had come back to the bullpen half naked.

Max was also in green basket ball shorts that slowed off his muscular legs covered in pale brown hair. If the team hadn't already know from Abby that Max was blond, then the leg hair probably would have made them wonder and/or ask question.

This was just another thing Max had forgotten when trying to disguise himself; Gibbs made a mental note to point it out to him before the kid left NCIS. Something Gibbs knew was fast approaching whether he liked it or not he would be prepared.


	24. Companionable Silence

**I'd like to give a quick shout out to krhorsejumper97 who has been a review like every other time. **

**It's awesome and kinda' funny.**

**Thanks.**

**Still no fiftieth review, sigh, I guess I'll just have to write another chapter and hope SOMEBODY REVIEWs...**

* * *

Three days after Alex started using his new shampoo his hair had returned to normal, a rather sandy blond color that was lighter than his father's and darker than his mother's hair. Alex's eye remained green, and would until after the completion of his mission that would not end with NCIS. Alex was upset by the fact the he would never get to be his true self around the team he was now calling his own... but after two years of working for government agencies all around the world Alex new better than to complain. He'd learned long ago to take what he could get and leave wishful thinking behind.

Alex jogged into the bullpen with his normal half gone t-shirt but he was wearing sweat pants instead of shorts.

"What is this?" Ziva asked as she peered over her desk at him.

"I'm going for a run today instead of training. Who want's to come?" He asked, Alex's eyes gleamed with the thought of running through the slowly increasing cold of early morning.

"I don't run unless I've got to." McGee backed out immediately.

"I'd go but Gibbs has me doing all sorts of crazy paperwork again." Tony apologized.

Alex sighed and turned to Ziva. "What about you?"

"I have clothes to train with but not for running." Ziva said firmly, unhappy that Alex hadn't called her to inform her of his excursive choice of the day.

Alex stared at Ziva for a moment before realized what she meant. "Oh... oops." He said, eyes wide. "Sorry, next time I'll call you." ALex said sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It is fine." Ziva said and returned to her computer.

"Well then, I guess I'll be running alone." Alex muttered and ran right into Gibbs.

"Give me a minute to change." Gibbs said and was gone.

"How long is a minute?" Alex asked Tony.

"It's just exactly what he said, a minute." Was all Alex got in reply.

"Oh. Um, okay." The teenager muttered as he stood around, uncomfortably waiting for Gibbs to return.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked as he reappeared in a lose t-shirt and sweatpants identical to Alex's.

"Hell yeah." Alex replied and dropped his towel on Tony's desk before taking off towards the stairs.

"Wish me luck." Gibbs muttered under his breath as he started to jog after the teen.

"Will do, boss." Tony called after him with a grin and a twinkle in his eye.

"Gibbs is going to be licking Max's dust in no time." Ziva declared once her boss was out of hearing distance.

Tony and McGee shot a look at one another before giggling like school children.

"What was it this time?" Ziva asked in a resigned manner.

"It's eat his dust, not lick." McGee said through gut wrenching laughs.

"Of course it is." Ziva sighed and combed a hand through her dark hair, trying her best to ignore the strangled chuckles coming from across the bullpen.

* * *

Gibbs and Max ran in a tense silence for about fifteen minutes before Gibbs finally said, "That's it kid, I'm gonna' have to slow down for a little while."

Max immediately complied and slowed their pace to an easy jog rather than a steady run. "It's fine, if you hadn't said something I would have done this in a few more seconds anyways." Max tried to cover for Gibbs who just snorted.

"Kid, you could've continued running at the speed for another hour if I'm not correct and by that time you'd probably be going faster." Gibbs said with a chuckle. "Don't tell anyone, but I know I'm getting older and that I'm not going to be able to do everything I use to. But it hasn't slowed me down yet! Or at least not by much." Gibbs added when Max shot him a look that said 'then why are we running _slower_?'

Max laughed when Gibbs shook his head and kept jogging onward, otherwise ignoring him.

After that the men ran in silence but it was a companionable silence.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at NCIS...

"Tony! Where is my Russian translator cheat!" McGee demanded.

"Your cheat! It's all of ours to use!" Tony cried angrily, for being found not because he actually believe McGee was trying to take something from him.

"Boys, Gibbs gave all of us our own, where are yours?" Ziva asked and held up a small book.

"Ziva!" Tony and McGee cried at the same moment before McGee let Tony finish. "Gibbs did not give us our own so that must be the only copy and you stole it from me!"

"And you stole it from me!" McGee cried and shoved Tony.

"Yeah, but right now Ziva has it so I'm not the enemy here." Tony said defensively and both men turned on Ziva.

* * *

"What happened while we were gone?" Alex asked as he glanced around and realized that although there were not viable bruises and everyone's clothes were in perfect order, something had happened while Gibbs and he had been away.

"Oh, nothing much." Ziva said with a grin as but Tony and McGee shuddered under her gaze. "We were just having some fun, weren't we... boys?"

Tony and McGee were far too eager to agree.

Alex laughed and draped his towel around his sweaty neck. "Well what ever it was I'm going to go take a shower now." He called over his shoulder. "Oh, and you'd better get those guilty looks off your faces before Gibbs sees them. He's liable to dish out head slaps to all of you."

Ziva, Tony, and McGee shared a worried look.


	25. Dislocated Shoulder

**FIFTY REVIEWS!!!**

**Now I just got to get to a hundred... then one fifty... then two hundred... (just tell me when I should stop) **

* * *

Another week passed and the team learned to trust Max with anything, whether it was their problems with their messed up sisters or father problems, Max was glad to listen. Glad to learn.

"Max!" Called Tony.

"Yeah?" Max asked as he glanced up from his spot on the floor. He stayed there not because he liked people walking into the bullpen and seeing a teenager with unruly blond hair seated on the floor, but because it was his own personal way of rebelling and reminding everyone that he was what he was no matter how mature he seem, underneath it all Max was still a teenage boy. And Gibbs wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could.

Eventually, Director Vance decided that Gibbs' team had to go back to solving cases, Max or not they were too valuable to sit around and collect dusk. Unfortunately, for all the trust in the worlds the director of NCIS still wouldn't let Max actually join the team as they investigated. Instead Max was forced to either spend his day locked up in his hotel room, training, or in the morgue with Ducky and Palmer. So far Max spent a lot more time exercising and working himself half to death than he did any thing else.

Gibbs didn't like this because he knew the strategy; work ones self to exhaustion and hope it keeps the nightmares away. Too bad Gibbs still didn't know how to get Max to a doctor without letting the kid realize what he was up to.

Luckily for Gibbs, the time came where he didn't have to figure it out because the opportunity landed in his lap.

"Gibbs! I'm so sorry!" A very new agent to NCIS cried as soon as he saw Gibbs enter the gym.

"What are you sorry about?" Gibbs asked warily.

"I- you don't know yet?" The man asked, eyes wide.

Gibbs simply cocked and eyebrow and waited for the man to speak.

As predicted, the probie gave in and started to babble. "Max and I were training when I slipped and grabbed a hold of his shirt... the stupid thing ripped right off! Bad part about that was Max had been bracing himself to fall and when my weight was gone he tumbled backwards instead of forwards and... well, I think he broke his arm." The man finished sheepishly, tears threatening to start flowing as he sat on a bench.

Gibbs nodded curtly and headed to where another man told him Max had been taken. "You okay?" Gibbs asked as soon as he saw Max. When the teen only stared up at him with a blank face but sparkling eyes Gibbs lost it. "God damn it! Are you okay! I can't tell anything with those contacts of yours!" Gibbs exploded but was careful to not take his rage out on Max, this time at least.

Max's chin dropped and Gibbs could see that he was grinning. "I'm fine, Gibbs. Although they want to take me to the hospital just in case I really did break my arm."

"But you did, didn't you? The probie said you wouldn't move your fingers." Gibbs stared at Max in shock, clearly the kid was in denial; Gibbs was shocked because he'd believe Max to be above such stupidity.

"No!" Max declared with a laugh. "I just dislocated it... well actually, I dislocated my shoulder. See!" Max said and with a sickening pop shoved his shoulder back into place before glancing around guiltily. "Promise not to tell anyone I just did that, 'kay?" He asked when his eyes landed back on Gibbs and he reached out his '_broken'_ hand for a shake to seal the deal.

"I'll promise if you promise to come with me to the hospital." Gibbs replied without hesitation.

"You'll drive. No ambulances." Max half asked half demanded.

Gibbs nodded and continued to meet Max' stare before the kid finally relented and gave Gibbs' hand a single, forceful shake. Gibbs was reminded of the shake Max and he had after the boy came back to NCIS after he'd been punched.

"Let's go." Gibbs said quietly and handed Max his jacket.

* * *

A young female doctor entered the room and smiled at first Alex then Gibbs. "I've got the X-rays and you'll be happy to know that your shoulder looks fine." The woman buzzed around the room and finally turned a light on revealing an image of Alex's shoulder. "You're in perfect condition... Mr. Payton. Why did you come in again?" The woman asked, glancing to Gibbs for the answer rather than Alex.

Alex cleared his throat before answering himself. "I fell and was worried I might have dislocated my shoulder."

"Oh." The doctor glanced back at the image of Alex's shoulder and studied it for another moment. "Yes... this does show faint signs of being dislocated in the past. Who are you again, sir?" She asked, turning to Gibbs. "His father?" With this question the doctor was studying Gibbs as if ready to report him to child services as a father beating his son.

"He's my manager. I'm a fighter and was training. You should have seen the other guy." Alex retorted before the doctor's inquiries could get any further.

"Oh!" The woman said with a smile, visible relaxing. "I'll be right back with your next doctor."

"Next doctor?" Alex asked, using his true accent for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

"It's an American thing." Gibbs replied, not making eye contact as he spoke.

"Ahh, that explains a lot." Alex muttered and leaned back against a pillow.

"Why were you using our American voice while she was in here?" Gibbs asked after a long moment, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Alex, who'd just closed his eyes, reopened them and stared at Gibbs for a moment before answering. "Because this way if they're ever asked if they met a blond teenager with and English accent they can truthfully answer 'no'."

Gibbs and Alex stared at one another for a few more moments before Alex sighed and leaned back against the pillows once more. "Ahh," Alex moaned as he closed his eyes.


	26. Six Hours

"He's asleep?" Another young doctor, this one male, asked Gibbs as he entered the room.

"I doubt it." Gibbs replied and pocked Alex in the ribs.

"You're getting to smart for me, old man." Alex taunted as he quickly sat up and began staring holes in the doctor.

"Be nice." Gibbs commented and jabbed Alex again before the boys grinned and is gaze softened, allowing the doctor to regain enough confidence to approach the teenager.

"Umm, are you in any pain?" The man asked as he roughly pocked and prodded Alex's sore arm.

Alex stared at the man as if he were crazy, hoping that this would make both the doctor and Gibbs believed that, yes, he was in pain when in reality Alex felt no pain whatsoever. Not after the other injuries he'd suffered from through out the years.

"That means he isn't." Gibbs translated.

Alex looked shocked. "How did you figure that out?"

Gibbs stared at him for a long moment before deciding that this shock was real and not an act so he gruffly answered the question. "Because I know you."

Alex slowly nodded and turned back to the doctor. "Well, he right. I'm not in pain."

"Hmm," The young man mumbled and scribbled something down on a clipboards. "Okay, I'm going to ask you some questions now that will help me decide which kind of pain killers to give you."

"But I just told you I'm not in pain!" Alex exploded, obviously enraged at the prospect of actually having to take medication.

"Shut up and listen to the good doctor." Gibbs declared and smacked the kid with his open hand.

The doctor stared for another moment at the two men in front of him before adding. "You may not be in pain now it most likely just because you're numb. Trust me, with injuries like this one you'll feel the pain eventually. Okay, now for the questions."

Alex sighed, sounding very much like a spoild American teenager before declaring. "Whatever, shoot!" And waving his hands around.

"How many meals a day do you eat?"

"Two, but I snake constantly in between."

The doctor nodded as if this were normal before continuing. "On a scale of one to ten how would you say you rate for eating healthy? One is the most unhealthy and ten in extremely healthy."

Alex shrugged. "I d'know. Maybe an eight or a nine, I guess."

"How often do you exercise?"

"Two or three times a day depending upon how much time I have on my hands." Alex stated, staring to relax. There was nothing personal about these questions and it seemed like normal doctor patient interview.

"Would you describe your workouts to me, please?"

"I always run, once or twice if I can manage; and I always either work with either a partner sparing _or_ weight lift."

The doctor nodded. "Good... good. On a scale of one to ten, with on being super light and ten being super heavy, how would you rate all of your exercises?"

Alex didn't really get the question but he did his best to answer. "If you mean how hard do I work then I guess a ten on everything. I'm exhausted after each workout I do."

"And do you sleep or eat after working out?"

"I always sleep after my evening run, but I don't sleep if I run in the morning. And I usually work with a partner or am weight lifting right before lunch so I eat after that."

"And how long do you sleep, if you do sleep?"

"Six hours."

"And how much sleep do you get every night on average?"

"Six hours."

The doctor sighed and glanced up at Alex. "Are these six hours deep sleep or light?"

"Pretty light, I guess. I'm use to being woke up." Alex answered, staring to get uncomfortable with the direction the questions were beginning to head.

As if sensing the discomfort the doctor began wrapping this up. "Hmm, that's all I need. I know the perfect pain pill." The doctor said and quickly exited the room before Alex could ask any more questions.

Alex and Gibbs sat in silence for a few more moments before Gibbs cleared his throat. "I've got to go to the bathroom. Can I trust you to behave yourself while I'm gone?"

Gibbs sighed when Alex shot him his usual 'I've never done anything wrong before in my life!' grin.

"Do yourself a favor and stay out of trouble." Gibbs mumbled as he ruffled the boy's curls and left the room in search of a '_bathroom_'.

* * *

"It is as your Dr. Mallard suspected, he's suffering from sleep anxiety most likely brought on by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which I do not think he is suffering from now. It is my belief that Max either knows the specifics of his lack of sleep or knows that something is wrong but is too scared to investigate. Either way, without counseling sleep anxiety is not very treatable. I've ordered some sleeping pills but this is only a temporary option. You've got to find out what's causing him to have problems sleeping and stop it, if I'm right about what brought the anxiety on he's liable to not want to talk about it; most PTSD suffers are like that by nature. Unfortunately his condition will continually worsen if the cause is not found and ended. It is very likely that today's dislocation was a result of the amount of stress Max is under from lack of sleep."

Gibbs nodded and turned away from the young doctor who'd just questioned Max. "I guess this is better than nothing." He muttered and headed back to the room the kid was hopefully still inside of.

"So... when will we be able to get out of here..." Max asked with his eyes closed as Gibbs re-entered the room.

"As soon as the doctor-" Gibbs was cut off mid answer.

"Here we go! Just take one of these with dinner every night and all your pain should be tolerable." The doctor said as he entered the room and tossed a pill bottle into Max's lap.

Max quickly scanned the label on the bottle. "May cause drowsiness." He half muttered half questioned.

"Just a side effect, doesn't usually affect anyone other than supper skinny..." The doctor trailed off as he glanced at Max's slender form.

"Hey! I'm not that skinny!" He exclaimed, offended that he would be called 'skinny' when he was nothing but pure muscle.

"Right. Call me if any vomiting occurs." The doctor retorted and disappeared across the hall and into another room through an open doorway.

"Let's go!" Max exclaimed angrily and stormed out of the hospital followed silently but Gibbs who'd stopped momentarily to retrieve the pill bottle Max had thrown to the ground.

"I'm driving you back to my place for the night so I can make sure you take these." Gibbs told Max as soon as they were both seated in his car.

"Whatever." Max grunted and continued to stare out the window.

Gibbs shook his head and turned the key in the ignition, starting the car and pulling out of the parking garage back onto the streets busy city streets.


	27. Armed Attacker

**Quick survey:**

**As I said at the very beginning of this story it's the start of another story following this plot line... what I want to know is just how much more of this story (Alex and NCIS) do you want before I get into the second half of the story?**

**PS The idea was to have a second Alex crossover with another book but it turned into that (which I haven't started writing yet)**_** and **_**Tony's Gift**** which is just something I'd wanted to write and is set after ****Trustworthy****? **

**Anyways, back to the point: How much more of ****Trustworthy****? do you want to have me publish before I publish the sequel?**

**(Here's a diagram in case you didn't follow the whole second story idea...)**

**Trustworthy****?**

(Draw two lines from title above; one to each line below)

**Other crossov****er****--------------****Tony's Gift**

**I really hope this didn't confuse anyone. If it did sorry, I'll make it up by giving you this chapter!**

**

* * *

**

Gibbs more or less had to force feed Max his pill but eventually the teenager relented and swallowed the giant yellow object, complaining the whole time.

"I don't care, go watch some t.v. or something." Gibbs replied to Max's grumbles.

Not even twenty minutes later the boy was crashed out on Gibbs couch. Gibbs entered and muted the reality show and stared down at Max. "Thank you God that I made him run before dinner." Gibbs mumbled as he realized that the teenager would have normally been out for his evening run at this time. "I wonder how I'm going to fix that if he isn't here..." Gibbs thought out loud as he moved to lift the teen and carry him upstairs. "Oophf!" Gibbs grunted when he found out that the slenderness of Max's limps was deceptive. "God, kid, you're heavy." He groaned as he gave up and merely covered Max with a blanket and removed his shoes. "Good thing you stayed in your running clothes instead of your suit." Gibbs continued to mumble. "I feel like a crazy old man talkin' to a sleeping teenager. Good God! I don't talk this much when he's awake!" Gibbs realized and decided to shut up from there on out as he removed his own shoes and climbed upstairs to fall asleep in his own bed across from the empty guest bedroom.

The next morning Gibbs woke, showered, dressed, and still managed to be downstairs and eating breakfast before Max awoke and wandered into the kitchen, probably following his nose like any good man with an empty stomach.

"Here, I made pancakes." Gibbs said and slid a plate across to Max.

"I prefer waffles." Max grumbled and quickly added, "But pancakes are good too!" When Gibbs gave him the evil eye.

Gibbs snorted and shook his head, thankful that Max hadn't seemed to notice that he'd slept for longer than six hours.

* * *

Alex had forgotten to call Ziva and tell her he wanted to run that morning so he did the polite thing and trained with her indoors wearing shorts and barely half a shirt.

Afterwards, Ziva showered and Alex jogged up two flights of stairs to Abby's office. "Abby?" He called as he entered the lab. "Hey, Abby!" Alex called again when he got no answer. "That's weird." He mumbled as he continued to jog in place before moving deeper into Abby's lab. "Abby, you in here?" He asked as he poked his head inside her personal workspace through another set of sliding doors at the back of her lab. "Where could have she gone?" Alex asked himself as he jogged out of the lab and down a single flight of stairs before coming out directly in front of the morgue. "Hey Ducky, you seen Abby?" Alex asked as he barged right in.

"Max, duck!" Ducky shouted just after Alex's instincts had kicked in forcing him to the ground, safely out of the path of the bullets that imbedded themselves in the glass of the sliding doors.

"Is everyone alright in here?" Alex called from the relative safety of a movable table covered in autopsy tools.

"Yes, Palmer's unconscious and Abby's bleeding but otherwise we're all just peachy!" Ducky called back with false cheer after a moment.

Alex took this to mean who ever was welding the gun was also instructing Ducky what to say. "Good... Good... So there is no need to call security." Alex called back while reaching a hand slowly up so that it was still out of sight up would be able to glide across the tope of the table-tray as soon as he knew his hand wouldn't be shot off.

Just as Alex sensed Ducky was about to reply, his hand shot up and it tightened around something. Alex brough his hand back down, only to find it bleeding because the scalpel he'd grabbed had peirced his skin.

"Absolutely! There is no need to call security!" Ducky's reply was rushed and abrupt, telltale signs the man was under duress.

"Good, good." Alex repeated and cut away some of the leather on the top of his shoe revealing a mirror. Angling the shoe, Alex was able to get a good view of the situation going on behind him. "That's really good because I'm in my gym clothes... you know, the shirt that's two pieces of fabric sewn together and the shorts without pockets..." Alex could clearly see on attacker dress all in black; the idiot stood out clearly in the white and silver morgue. Alex couldn't see Ducky and the others but from the body position of the attacker Alex guessed they were probably huddled in the far corner.

Alex watched as the attacker waved his hand, and the gun clasped tightly in his gloved grip."I guess that is lucky..." Ducky replied, the depression in his voice clearly evident.

"Yes. Too bad I'm only I teenager and not a full grown adult." Alex called, slipping his other shoe off and both socks.

Just as Ducky was about to answer Alex launched himself out from behind the doorway and across the morgue to plow into the attacker, knocking him off his feet. This one only possible because, as Alex had observed, the attacker's full attention was always centered on Ducky when he was calling back to him.

Alex grunted as a booted heel clipped his chest and he thought he felt a rib crack; unfazed by this injury, Alex continued to fight the man until the gun was safely knocked away. But before Alex could do anymore damage, Abby appeared out of no where and pressed a rag over the attackers nose and mouth. Moments later the attacker went limp and Alex slowly rolled off of him.

"Chloroform?" Alex asked as he lay panting on the floor.

"I always carry some around with me." Abby replied, trying her best to sound chipper but failing miserably.

"Cool." Alex muttered and relaxed, exhausted after a two hour workout and a battle against an armed attacker.

Abby babbled on but Alex ignored her as he slowly drifted off, something he wouldn't be able to do unless everyone including himself was out of danger. Alex knew from experience that he could push his body past all limits if he set his mind to it.


	28. Partial Name

**Okay, I must have done a sucky job of explaining- damn I do that a lot, such a bad habit- so let me start over.**

**1.) I _am_ going to write another crossover with Alex and another book**

**2.) I _already_ started NCIS's sequel set just after Trustworthy?... its**** called**** Tony's Gift just in case you're interested... **

**3.) What I _want to know _is: how much more of Alex/NCIS drama do you want before I end this story and write the next crossover? **

**Cool, I'll stop now and give you what you really want...**

* * *

"Are you out of your stupid, idiot, teenage mind!" Gibbs demanded as he raged and roared at Alex just as he came to.

"Would you mind telling me exactly why you're asking?" Alex replied, rubbing a temple as he sat up and looked around; he was in the snack machine room laid out on the uncomfortable couch. "I thought I mentioned new couches... obviously no one listens to me around here." Alex grumbled as Gibbs stared at him in a mixture of shock and horror.

"You're tellin' me that you don't remember throwing yourself and an armed assailant?" Gibbs barely whispered.

"Oh, that. Yeah I remember that. I just didn't realized it was big enough for you to react this way." Alex declared as he stood and yawned while bending over to stretch.

"Not a big deal..." Gibbs whispered, trailing off before shouting, "Not a big deal! Are you completely insane! Max, you could have been killed."

"Gibbs, this is what I do for a living. This was nothing compared to what I'm normally doing... what I'm use to. Besides, I'm not hurt and from what Ducky said I'm assuming no one else is either." Alex's eyes bored holes in Gibbs before the older man answered.

"No, no one's hurt with the exception of the gunman. He's a little bruised but not as battered as I would have liked. Next time... hit him harder." Gibbs muttered as if it were an inside joke before fleeing the room, leaving Alex to wonder what had just happened.

"Well, that's odd. Better go find Abby." Alex said as he retrieved and apple from a paper sack that had been left lying on the table and bit into his. Whistling, Alex set off on his mission to find Abby as if the interruption was nothing to him... and maybe it wasn't.

* * *

Gibbs barged into the interrogation room and shoved the man back down into his seat before he could rise all the way up.

"What are you doing here? Why NCIS?" Gibbs demanded after a long silence.

The man who'd held Ducky, Palmer, and Abby smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you ask Alex. I'm sure he's got all kinds of answers." And the man refused to answer any more of Gibbs' questions.

"Fine. Book him." Gibbs declared and let one of the guards lift the man out of his seat, still handcuffed. "One last thing," Gibbs stared.

The man raised an eyebrow, prepared to hear the question but continue to stubbornly refuse to answer. "Yes, Special Agent Gibbs?" The man taunted as the guard held him in place and Gibbs didn't speak.

"Who's Alex?"

The gunman's eyes widened before he frowned. "If you don't know they you've been highly underestimated... either that or we've overestimated the boy." The man was talking to himself but Gibbs could hear him.

"That's all I need to know. Take him away." Gibbs waved his hand and waited until he was alone in the room before collapsing heavily into the chair he'd just vacated.

Meanwhile, behind the one way window Ziva stared at her boss, the gears turning inside of her head were almost visible.

"Ziva," Tony asked, when she didn't answer he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ziva, what did all that mean?" His voice was low and comforting.

Ziva turned and stared up into Tony's eyes. "It means we have a name. Or at least a partial one..." She answered and leaned against Tony, unconsciously accepting his warmth and stability.

* * *

"Abby?" Alex called as he entered her lab for the second time that day.

"Max! What are you doing here! You should be at the hospital!" Abby exclaimed as she rushed towards him and enveloped him in a hug.

"But I'm not hurt, and besides, you're not at the hospital either."

Abby opened her mouth to reply, thought better of it and closed her mouth, pressing her lips tightly together to form a thin black line. "Why aren't you wearing any shoes?" She asked, as she refused to release Alex from her tight grip.

Alex stared down at his feet and for the first time realized he was still in his gym clothes and his feet were completely bare. "Umm... I actually don't kn- oh, right. I destroyed one shoe so that I could see you guys and then I took my other shoe off because if I'm already missing one might as well get rid of the other one. After that I removed my socks because I didn't want to slip on the floor mid attack." Alex replied as he continued to stare down at his feet, not out of embarrassment but more out of shock.

Abby joined him and soon they were both watching Alex wiggle his toes, after a few more minutes of silence both Alex and Abby looked at each other and burst into laughter.

This was how McGee found them, bent over and practically sobbing with fits of giggles.

"I'm glad to see you've both recovered." The was just a tiny hint of jealousy in his voice as he glared at Alex.

"Yeah, oh, I almost forgot!" Alex declared almost dishonestly, there was no way he'd ever forget something this important. "I need a favor."

"Umm, okay. What is it?" Abby asked as she straightened only to lean against McGee.

"I need you to tell me what kind of pills these are..." Alex said and handed Abby a plastic sandwich bag with four of his sleeping pills.

"Oh, that's easy. Those are really heavy sleeping pills. Knock you right out. That all because I should probably get back to work before Gibbs slips in here... oh, hi boss!" Abby cried and three sets of eyes landed upon Gibbs as he stood in the doorway, he'd been standing there just long enough to hear Abby identify the pills.

"Hello, Gibbs." Alex said with a tight smile as he tucked the bag with the pills into his jacket and brushed past the older man.

"Hello... Alex." Gibbs whispered as Alex past him.

It was all Alex could do to not freeze and confront Gibbs, or, run as far and as fast away as he could. Pretending he didn't hear him Alex continued, already trying to think of a way Gibbs would have found out or a way to make the man believe he wasn't Alex. So far the only conclusion Alex had reach was that Gibbs didn't have a last name... yet.


	29. Mystery Man

**Next survey: Alex needs another '_real name_' and another name that is his alias (this is what Max Payton is). **

**I've already got two names picked out but I need help decided which should go with each different title. **

**Jim Saunders**

**&**

**Paul Crant**

**I was thinking of having Paul be his '_r__eal name_' and having Jim be his alias. **

**What do you think?**

**If you have other ideas I'd be happy to hear them...**

* * *

"I have a first name, I have a face, I have a rough age, and I have an assumed country of origin. What I don't know and want to know is who the hell he is." Gibbs said quietly as a bald man sat down next to him on a random bench in the very same park Alex has saved a woman from sure abuse only a few weeks prior.

Trent Kort remained silent for a few moments before leaning back to open his mouth. "What makes you think I'll be able to help you... let alone want to." The man asked as he carefully avoided looking at Gibbs.

"You will be able to identify him and you will help me wheather you like it or not."The bald man sighed and nodded, causing Gibbs to continued. "Pick one; name or country." Gibbs replied quietly.

Kort sighed as he replied. "Country. Throw in age while you're at it."

"Britain." Gibbs said and Kort's face twitched. "Got someone in mind already?"

"There is one strong possibility and another British chap that we haven't been able to confirm but think is here." Kort said after a moment. "What's his ages, that will narrow it down enough. The two people it could be are night and day in ages."

Gibbs shook his head. "Just give me their names. I can figure it out myself."

"And why would I do that?" Kort asked, already knowing the answer.

"Because you owe me, that debt will be repaid with one name and I'll owe you for the other. What are the two names, Kort?" Gibbs said stonily, giving no ground.

Sighing again, Kort answered. "Bernard Jameston and Alex Rider." Gibbs carefully didn't move when he heard the name '_Alex_'. "Jameston is visiting his wife's family, he's supposedly on vacation. Rider is the one we can't confirm. But there are rumors that he's here."

Gibbs wrinkled his nose, giving the impression that he didn't like rumors when the gesture was actually a well thought out and carefully calculated move to get Kort to spill more information without Gibbs having to actually asking for it.

The move worked beautifully and Kort continued. "I hope to God that you've got Jameston or someone completely different that managed to get into America under our radar."

"Why? This Rider character can't be that dangerous." Gibbs said with another nose wrinkle.

"Oh, on the contrary, he is the most dangerous agent currently breathing." Trent Kort retorted and got up, walking away with a cautious step. "I'll come and visit sometime, maybe I'll catch a glimpse of this '_mystery man_' of yours, Gibbs."

"Stop by anytime, just not tomorrow. None of us will be in." Gibbs replied as he continued to sit on the bench, content to watched the world go by.

* * *

"His cover is blown. Should I pull him out? Or do we wait until he has gain Gibbs' trust indefinitely?" The man who had been watching Alex's every move since he'd arrived in America asked worriedly into the phone he clutch tightly in his big hand.

"You obviously think we should remove the boy otherwise you wouldn't have used your only emergency phone." The voice on the other end replied in a deceptively uncaring manner.

The man glanced down; the voice was correct. Up until this point he'd always used disposable phones and had been saving the '_emergency_' phone for an emergency... such as this one.

The man remembered the feeling of dread that washed over him as he watched CIA Trent Kort sit down next to Gibbs. "I don't think re-disguising him is going to work. Gibbs knows who he is and I think Trent Kort suspects and if that jackass suspects anything then soon the whole world will suspect Alex is here and the entire mission will be compromised! I don't think we can risk it." The first man shouted then finished quietly, rubbing the bridge of his slightly crocked nose.

"You're mostly likely right. Re-disguise him and then wait three more days before pulling him out. Make sure he knows of the threat and that no matter what the mission must not be compromised." The second voice said gravely before clicking off.

"Oh, Cub. What the hell kind of mess have you gotten yourself into now." Wolf muttered as he stared through his binoculars as Alex headed back to NCIS from his morning run.

* * *

**Bum... bup... ba... okay, so now you know who the guy that's been following Alex around is. **

**Show of hands, how many of you pegged it was Wolf? **


	30. Hard Shell

Alex opened the door of his hotel room and stepped inside, his senses buzzing. Alex interpreted the buzz and realized that there was someone in the room... but there was no danger.

"Took you long enough to show up!" A voice exclaimed angrily as Alex flipped on a light switch and came face to face with a man he hadn't wanted to see ever again.

Alex shrugged. "There was traffic." And brushed by Wolf to throw his stuff down upon the chair Wolf had just been occupying.

"Aren't you surprised to see me?" Wolf asked, stunned that he hadn't gotten a bigger reaction from Cub.

"Surprised that you're in my room? No, kinda' perverted by I knew you were in here. Surprised that someone was following me while I've been on mission. Annoyed, not so much but more that the surprised. What I am surprised about is that you're surprised that I'm not surprised." Alex said as he tossed his suit jacked off and began unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a plain white t-shirt underneath.

Wolf stared at the boy he called Cub, shaken by staring into the laughing green eyes because the kid's demeanor was otherwise cold. "Stop doing that with your eyes." He mumbled as he rolled his shoulder.

"I can't." Wolf opened his mouth to say something, but Alex continued. "They were designed to hide all emotion and give off humor."

"What, you weren't good enough at doing that on your own?" Wolf tried to tease.

Alex shrugged. "Seduction only works it you're eyes are in on it. I can pull of the body language and words but my eyes are too hollow. Or so I've been told." Alex said as he turned to a drawer and pulled out a pair of sweat pants.

Wolf turned away slightly as Alex shucked his slacks and pulled on the grey sweats over his boxers.

"I'm going for a run. I assume what ever you broke in to tell me is important but I really don't want to hear about it until I've jogged my five miles." Alex declared and before Wolf could stop him, the teenager was out the door.

"Damn, Cub. I'm only trying to do my job!" Wolf exclaimed to an empty room.

...

Alex jogged to the cheap motel and managed to slip into his old room without the man behind the desk looking up. He gathered all of the things he'd left in the motel and checked to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything before jogging back out of the motel with a single bag in hand.

Alex jogged back to the hotel and was slightly red faced from the cold rather than exhaustion as he climbed the last few stairs before exiting on the eleventh floor and heading for his room.

"That was quick, how'd you do five miles that fast?" Wolf asked as he glanced up from the television.

"I actually did ten with a break in between." Alex mumbled as he towered over Wolf who'd remained seated.

"What?" Wolf asked as Alex continued to stare down at him.

"My room. My chair." Alex said and brown eyes meet green ones.

"Fine! Stupid chair anyways." Wolf grumbled as he hoisted himself out of the blue and green single seater and crossed the room to lean against the wall, watching as Alex tossed the bag onto the chair and headed into the bathroom.

Wolf frowned and wondered how long the kid would be this time when the shower was turned on. "Oh come on!" Wolf shouted as he pounded at the door and was met only with the sound of rushing water hitting something on the other side of the door. "Good thing I already switched out the shampoo." Wolf grunted as he tossed the bag to the floor, much the same as he'd tossed Alex's other belonging to the ground when they'd gotten in his way.

...

"Something is wrong." Alex phrased this comment as more of a statement as he exited the showered with his shampoo bottle in hand.

"Why would you say that?" Wolf asked, knowing to took at least three uses of the shampoo to re-dye the hair and that the bottle was identical to the other one he'd given Alex at the Thai place.

"This isn't the same bottle." Alex grunted as he set the 'identical' bottle down on a table and stood in front of Wolf; hands on hips demanded an explanation.

"How could you tell?" Wolf asked as he stood and grabbed the bottle. "I made sure that they looked exactly alike!" He exclaimed and peered closely as to find a difference between this bottle and the one he'd tossed down the incinerator hours earlier.

"I scratched off part of the 'T' to make is look like an 'I', right there on the other bottle." Alex indicated a single letter in the middle of the bottle in the middle of a word.

"How the hell was I suppose to know that!" Wolf exploded.

Alex shrugged. "I would have checked." The teen clarified and sat in the chair before propping his bare heels up on top of the television stand.

"Of course you would've." Wolf muttered angrily, not caring if Cub was supposedly the best in the business, only caring that he'd gotten bested by a kid.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked when Wolf still refused to give clarify.

"You've been made." Wolf said quietly.

A state of seriousness fell over the room. "Which one of the team?" Alex asked after a long moment of silence. "Gibbs?" He guess before Wolf could answer.

Wolf nodded. "He met with a CIA man and even though Gibbs didn't give you away the CIA man is most likely suspicious.

It was Alex's turn to nod. "If I'm found out then the whole operation is over." Alex turned and walked over to his laptop, booting it up.

"What operation?" Wolf searched, trying to act casual.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Alex said with a snort as he face was illuminated by the blue screen.

"Yes, I would like to know!" Wolf exclaimed.

"Too bad. It's none of your damn business." Alex muttered absent mindedly as the computer finally loaded and he typed something in.

Alex smirked as Wolf began swearing up a storm behind him. "Is that all because you aren't sleeping here. I've got a motel room I'm not using." Alex offered as he didn't turn around.

"I've got my own room here." Wolf said as he watched the teen work in silence.

Alex didn't even nod as he concentrated on the computer.

Wolf sighed and left the room, confused by the lack of humanity inside to cold, hard shell that was the Cub he use to know. "What happened to Cub?" He asked himself as he fought back tears, upset by both the lack of feeling from the boy and the overload of feelings coming from him. "When did I become such a wussy?" He asked. Sighing, he answered himself. "The moment you watched a small figure snowboard into a train followed by machine guns.

* * *

**I'd like to clarify one thing quick, just in case anyone got the wrong idea.**

** Alex_ isn't_**** gay!**

**Wolf _isn't_**** gay!**

**I will _never_**** make either of them gay!**

**Wolf is merely upset by a **_**kid's**_** maturity and worldliness. **

**Okay. **

**Glad that's over with.**


	31. Out Ranking

Alex finished working and shut down his laptop before sighing and picking up the shampoo bottle before heading back into the bathroom to shower all over again. "Gonna' go bald." He muttered as he scrubbed his slightly straighter curls.

When Alex was done he exited the bathroom, only this time he was wearing a towel around his waist rather than fully clothed like he'd been when Wolf was there. Alex wasn't self conscious... not really. He just didn't want people he knew to see his wounds, especially the worst ones like the large puckered bullet wound that lay just about his heart.

"Damn hunting accident when I was six." Alex muttered with a slight grin, this was the excuse he'd been using for about a year. A his first hunting trip going wrong was a lame excuse but surprisingly, most people believe it. Most people without more that half a brain cell.

"I bet if Wolf hadn't already seen me shirtless at SAS then he would have believe it." Alex said aloud, laughing.

* * *

Gibbs was in his basement working on his boat and drinking alchol out of a filty coffee mug when the though occurred to him. _"What if Alex finds out Gibbs knew about him?"_

"He'd run for sure and then I'd never get anything out of him." Gibbs grumbled as he continued to sand the side of his newest boat. "Stupid CIA, doesn't even know how if a teenager is in America."

Gibbs swiped and hand across his forehead. _Maybe I should turn the heat down a bit._ He'd turned it up recently because it was late fall and the snow would be falling soon. _I always turn the heat on the day after Thanksgiving. _Gibbs continued to argue, wondering wether or not his thermostat was broken. _Maybe I'm just getting old._ Gibbs pondered this thought for a moment before shaking his head. "It's probably just spending so much time with a teenager full of energy." Gibbs said aloud with a smile.

Gibbs took one last swig of his drink before setting the cup down and heading upstairs for the night.

* * *

The next morning Alex called Ziva to tell her he wanted to go for a run, before he dressed in his gym clothes and caught a cab over to the NCIS building.

"Hey!" Alex smiled as a security guard name Keith smiled and said 'hello'. "Do you know if Ziva is here yet, by any chance?" Alex asked.

Keith's face fell. "I'm not allow to give out that kind of information. Sorry." He said lamely.

Alex gave him a funny look but patted him on the arm. "It's not like I'll see her in under ten minutes he mumbled just before getting out of ear shot.

Keith's ears were red as he turned to the next person in line.

* * *

"Good. You're here. The stupid securtiy guy downstairs wouldn't tell me it you were or not." Max grumbled, forgetting to stop using his American as he reached the bullpen; he wasn't suppose to talk normal while around people not belonging to Gibbs' team.

Ziva frowned, catching the accent but refusing to ask. "I suppose they wouldn't. Are you ready?" She asked as the teen dropped his bag and coat on the floor next to Tony's desk.

"I am now. Let's go." The boy said happily, already running in place.

Ziva just nodded and lead the way down the stairs, past the Keith the security guard, and out of NCIS for an invigorating morning jog.

As Ziva kept pace beside Max, she examined him carefully. Was the false American accent a slip of the tongue or was Max preparing to leave NCIS? _Nonsense, I'm sure he'd tell us if he were leaving us... besides, he's only been here three and a half weeks. And it's four days before Christmas Eve. I'm sure his Christian and celebrates Christmas... He wouldn't leave. He wouldn't. _Ziva thought to herself as she picked up the pace in order to keep up with Max's jog that was slowly turning into a flat out run.

"Ahh, that was fun. I'm going to go take a shower." Max said as he and Ziva reached the front of NCIS.

Ziva nodded and headed towards the women's locker room to shower and change as Max headed to the mens.

* * *

Alex had changed his pants and just barely pulled his white t-shirt on when three young, and rambunctious new agents entered the locker room; the were wound up from there training and looking for something to practice their punches on. Apparently a teenaged hanging out in an adult NCIS looker room made for good practice.

"What are you doin' in here, kid?" One man asked as another shouted.

"Who in the hell let you in here!"

"Answer the questions, runt." The third man growled when Alex remained silent.

"I don't believe I will." Alex replied as he slid his pale grey shirt over his white t-shirt.

"And why not?" The shortest of the men sneered.

In Alex's experience the shorter the man the more he felt the need to show off his '_manhood_'; this usually occurred in bulking up to extremes or over working a mouth with no brain behind it. "Quiet frankly, gentlemen, because I out rank you." Alex replied as he finished buttoning the row of shiny white buttons that led from his belt buckle to his throat.

Alex had just started to button the second out of three buttons on his right sleeve when the tallest man, the one who'd spoken last, declared, "Come on guys, lets show this boy how much we out rank him!" He yelled with menace and flew towards Alex.

Alex merely sidestepped the man and lashed out with his heel, kicking the man in the back of the knee; the man fell and knocked himself unconscious when he hit his head on the bench where Alex's jacket still lay.

The short man, who barely came up to Alex's shoulder, then rushed him and Alex sidestepped in the other direction and caught the man by the throat with his forearm; this move brought the man to his knees, gasping for air.

Finally, Alex glanced at the last man standing; this man was of average height, shorter than Alex, and had course black hair done in cornrows.

"Are you going to be smarter than your colleagues?" Alex barely had time to ask his question before the man but his head down and barreled towards him like a bull. "Apparently not." Alex muttered disgustedly as he waited until the last moment to step out of the way and the man went head first into a locker door. "I honestly didn't think the side step move could work on all three of you!" Alex exclaimed as he finished buttoning his shirt and slipped his jacket on; grabbing his bag, Alex headed back upstairs to the bullpen.

All three newbies were found under five minutes later and were all found to be completely unharmed except for huge bruises to their prides and slightly smaller bruises to their physical bodies.


	32. Emotional Betrayal

**Ha ha ha!**

**Seventy five reviews! **

**Only twenty five to get to one hundred!**

**No pressure.**

**No pressure at all...**

* * *

Gibbs marched into the bullpen and found his way to tower over Max.

the teen glanced up and his face fell. "Oops." He muttered as Gibbs continued to glare down at him. "This is about those three idiots... isn't it?" He asked as Gibbs remained quite. "For the record, it wasn't my fault." Max defended as he rose to his feet and now stood a few inches about Gibbs.

Gibbs finally spoke, sneering. "When did you get so tall?" He asked as he turned around and headed for his desk.

"What do you mean?" Max asked, frowning in confusion.

"You're taller than yesterday." Gibbs grumbled and Max stared down at his tennis shoes; they didn't seem to make him any taller than Gibbs' shoes.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still growing." Max said with a small smile.

"Weeds always do grow the fastest." Ziva teased, drawing out a wider smile from the once again brown haired teenager.

"I'm not sure I like being compared to a weed." Max said, puffing his chest out.

"She wasn't comparing you to a weed... she was calling you one." McGee muttered loudly.

Max spun on him and approached, causing McGee to glance up. Max leaned down and whispered something in McGee's ear, causing the older man to pale.

"You wouldn't!" McGee gasped.

"I yes I would. In fact, I think I'll go-" Max was cut off but McGee's hand reached out and catching his shiny dark brown belt.

"What were you thinking wearing that?" Ziva demanded as Max quickly unbuckled the leather band wrapped around his waist, causing McGee to fall to the floor.

"What do you mean?" Max asked as he retrieved his belt and pulled McGee back into his chair before once again tightening the brown band around his narrow waist.

"Men! You never wear brown belts with black shoes! Or black belts with brown shoes." Ziva exclaimed and all four of her male colleagues glanced down to check the color of their belts and then their shoes.

Gibbs smiled slightly, realizing that he had black shoes and a dark grey belt.

McGee blushed and tried to hide his black belt with brown shoes.

Tony simply grinned at Ziva when he realized that he had a brown belt and black shoes.

"Men!" Ziva repeated and headed for the elevator. "I'm going to got see Abby!" She called.

* * *

"Hey, Abby." Ziva said as she entered the other woman's lab. "What was that?" She asked as Abby quickly exited out of something.

"What was what?" Abby asked as she tried to hide the computer from Ziva's stare.

"What is a picture of Max doing on your computer?" Ziva asked as she brought the picture back up and glared at it; the picture was of Max's bare torso, the day they'd drugged him and Ducky had examined him.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone!" Abby exclaimed, and when Ziva nodded Abby continued. "Gibbs found out who Max really is."

* * *

Alex froze as he stayed rooted to the floor of Abby's lab. Not only was there a picture of him half naked and out cold, but this confirmed that Gibbs did indeed know who he was. Alex wasn't very upset about this fact, after all, Wolf had already told him that he'd been discovered. What Alex was upset about was the picture of him because the only time he ever went without a shirt what in the shower, and the picture was obviously not of him in the shower.

Alex froze when Ziva began speaking again. "Why do you have this picture? Don't you think it's bad enough that we drugged him... but that you took a picture of it?" Ziva's voice was calm but harsh.

Abby hesitated. "Gibbs said we had to have at least on picture because it's clear that Max has been abuse and Gibbs didn't know if we'd ever get another opportunity to see this again.

Alex watched as Ziva slowly nodded. Disgusted, Alex raced up the stairs. Chanting to himself, _Only three more days. Make it to Christmas Eve and you'll be good. Only three days to go... Only three more days and this will all be over... Then I'll never have to see these people again! _

Little did Alex know, that the pain he was feeling wasn't coming from being discovered, it was coming from the betrayal of people he trusted... people he actually liked, and enjoyed spending time with...

Betrayal was an emotion Alex had always had a hard time dealing with... and unknown to Alex, betrayal was the emotion causing his nightmares.

* * *

**This chapter was pretty short but not over the top short... so.... HA!**

**...yeah, anyways.**


	33. Boy Thing

It took almost a half an hour before Alex was able to calm himself down enough to return to the bullpen and see their faces again. Luckily, all four of Gibbs' team, including Gibbs, were preoccupied with different things and not paying any attention to the teenage boy as he sauntered in and back out with his workout bag in his hands.

Alex took the elevator down to the gym floor and headed into the locker room where he'd beaten up three men in just that morning.

The teen quickly undressed and then redressed in his running clothes before taking the stairs back up a floor so he could exit NCIS from the main door instead of the one that he'd taken the day he'd 'tried to escape'.

Alex smiled as he remembered what he'd done.

_"When you feel like you're starting to get under their skin, break out and we'll pick you up. The whole point is to make it look like you've been kidnapped and they'll have to come rescue you. If you time this wrong then they won't come after you and the whole operation will be blow... if you blow this Blunt will be waiting to rip you a new one-"_

_Alex cut the voice coming from his laptop off. "So I better not blow this." And shut the computer, cutting the connection with the man Alex would later find out was Wolf. _

"What are you doing running around out here rather than making connections out there?" Wolf asked as he joined Alex in the park, jogging along like they were complete strangers who'd met randomly.

"Tryin' to keep in shape." Alex said fiercly, not really wanting to talk.

"Oh." Was Wolf's only response.

"You never told me how you got roped into working for MI6. At least, I assume your working for MI6 now instead of SAS. Why else would you be here?" Alex questioned Wolf, deciding that it was about time he got some answers and if he couldn't get the ones he really wanted -from Gibbs- then he'd settle for getting some different ones out of Wolf.

The older man sighed but answered Alex's question. "I am working for MI6. It happened after I watched you nearly get killed by trigger happy machine gun wielders. I decided that I wanted to know who you really were and stuck my nose where it didn't belong. My choices were exile and a forever blackened name... or all the answers I wanted and a new job."

Alex nodded.

"Is that similar to how you stared working for MI6?" Wolf asked a question of his own.

Alex snorted. "Not even close." He called as he started sprinting out of the park, surprisingly, Alex managed to keep up his extremely fast paced run all the way back to NCIS. He only stopped when he had to go through security.

Wolf watched Alex go. "I wonder what that mean..." Wolf muttered as he stopped and put his hands on his head; exhausted from trying to keep up with Alex's overly fit body. "How the hell does that kid do it?" Wolf asked as he did his best not to wheeze. Shaking his head, Wolf continued to walk back to his car.

* * *

Alex returned to the locker room where he debated on taking a showered or waiting, decided upon the latter and got dressed in his suit. Grabbing his bag, Alex left the locker room and once again headed back to the main entrance/exit of NCIS.

"Back so soon?" Kevin asked as Alex slipped by security.

Alex shot the man a smile. "Yeah, I won't shower here and Gibbs won't let me stay with the team when I smell this bad." Alex called over his shoulder, drawing attention to the fact the he was covered in sweat and smelled like an elephant who'd stupidly, tried to outrun a cheetah.

"See you tomorrow!" Kevin called and Alex merely raised his hand is he continued towards the door.

* * *

Not even five minutes later McGee came tearing up the stairs from the locker room and approached Kevin.

"Have you seen Max?" McGee wheezed, he'd been running all over the place for the last half an hour in search of Max.

"Umm," Kevin began but was silenced when Gibbs appeared behind McGee's slumped over figure.

"He left about forty-five minutes ago then came back and headed downstair." McGee moved to retrace his steps. "But then he came back up and left again, about five minutes ago." Kevin finished before McGee had even gone two steps.

"Didn't you find that odd?" Ziva asked as she appeared out of no where to stand at Gibbs' shoulder.

Kevin shook his head. "No. The first time he left he was wearing his running clothes and when he came back he was really sweaty."

"Sweaty or covered in water?" McGee asked as he glanced up from his position with his hands on his knees.

"Sweaty, which lead me to the next time he left. He'd gone downstairs and changed and came back up. I asked him why he was leaving and he said that you wouldn't let him back with you for work when he smelled so bad and he refuses to take a shower here." Kevin finished, smiling proudly.

"You remembered all that?" Gibbs asked skeptically.

Kevin's smile faded slightly but he thrust back his shoulders confidently. "Like I just said, it was only five minutes ago." And turned his back on Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva.

"Well?" Ziva asked as she turned to Gibbs.

Gibbs just shrugged as if to say, 'Who knows?'

"Probably just a teenage boy thing." McGee told Ziva dismissivly after Gibbs had left.

"Come on. We'd better go tell Tony before he manages to get someone else to cover for him on phone duty." Ziva said and ran off to rescue Tony from searching the entire building like she and McGee had ended up doing.

McGee sighed one more time before inhaling deeply and pushing himself towards the elevator. Once inside he sagged against a wall, happy that he didn't have to climb any more stairs.

* * *

**It wasn't until A-R bookworm pointed out that I hadn't explained why Wolf was there that I realized... I hadn't explained why Wolf was following Alex around.**

**I hope that I've done a bit better job of that.**

**I don't want to go into to much detail because I like to let you wonder...**


	34. Why Me

**Blah, blah, blah.**

**Here's your next chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Alex reached his hotel room and locked the door three different ways; knowing that this would only keep Wolf out for a few moments longer than before Alex quickly gathered his clothes and headed into the bathroom to shower and change afterwards. But not after tossing his gym bag across the room to lie atop a heaping pile of unwashed clothes.

Once in the shower the teen bowed his head and let the steaming water pour over his hair and flow down his neck and in between his shoulder blades. Alex moaned and rested his forehead against the slick tile; once again, he wished he had enough emotion left inside of him to cry. But alas, the teenager was so scared that strong emotions such as love and hate didn't affect him any longer. Only the painful emotions like envy and betrayal did any damage to the young man who desperately wished he were still a boy.

"Why me?" Alex asked himself for the first time since accepting this mission. "Because you're Alex Rider!" Alex declared angrily before swearing up a storm and slamming the meaty side of his fist against the shower wall. "Why me..." Alex whispered. "Why did they have to do this to me?" He laid his forehead back against the shower wall and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Cub?" Wolf called as he finally managed to force his way into Alex's room; surprisingly, it had taken him a total of eighteen minutes to get across the hotel and wiggle his way inside of Alex's room. "Hey, kid, what are you doin' back from work so early?" Wolf asked as he searched to room for Alex; coming up empty Wolf's eyes flickered to the bathroom door and found light emitting from underneath it. "Okay, take your shower." Wolf whispered worriedly as he slipped back out of Alex's room, careful to at leave replace one of the locks on the door. "I'll just come back later."

Once back out in the hallway of the hotel Wolf glanced back at Cub's door clearly worried and upset by this new behavior.

"Hope Cub's okay." Wolf muttered as he slunk into an empty elevator. "Of course he'll be okay, kid can take anything." Wolf assured himself as the doors dinged open and the man stepped out, his eyes constantly scanning for a signs of a threat.

* * *

Alex slowly pushed himself off the wall and his eyes flashed open. _"Not gonna' get anything down if you mope around like this."_ Alex heard his uncle's voice say inside his head.

"You're right, Ian. I'm not gonna' get anything done unless I do something progressive!" And with that the teen turned the water off and slipped on a pair of Navy plaid boxers.

_"Not quite what I had in mind..."_ Ian's voice seemed to whisper as Alex headed out into the main room and began another workout.

Alex began counting off how many push ups he did soon reached, "Ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred!" Alex grunted as he rolled onto his back and began doing full sit-ups with his hands crossing his chest and holding his shoulders. "One hundred." He declared and switched his hands to behind his head and switched to crunches. "Ahh," Alex said instead of 'one hundred' as he finished his exercise.

Alex sighed again and lay completely still on the floor of his hotel room, not bothering to get up and drink some water even though his was really thirsty. "Probably close to dehydration." Alex muttered as he forced himself to his feet to down an entire bottle of water before collapsing face first onto his bed. "Ahh," Alex moaned for entirely different reasons as he slipped into sleep.

_"Alex, what are you doing?" Ian asked as his dark brown eyes bored holes in Alex's head. _

_"Sleeping, why?" Alex replied, staring down at his body sprawled out on the hotel bed. _

_"You're not sleeping. You're talking to me." Ian said to Alex. Why?" _

_Alex continued to stare down at himself before glancing back to his uncle and shrugging. "I dunno. You tell me?" Alex asked, oddly respectful despite the wording. _

_"You're exhausted, Alex. But instead of recuperating you're dreaming of me. Why?" Ian asked again._

_"I! Don't! Know! I just can't sleep!" Alex shouted and tried to turn his back on Ian but found him in front of him once more. Alex's uncle either moved really fast or Alex hadn't been able to move at all. "Why, Ian, why?"_

_"Something is upsetting you, Alex. And I think I know what it is..." Ian whispered, his eyes sorrowful as he stared at the child he'd raised as his own son. _

_"Yeah, I guess some things are bothering me." Alex mumbled evasively and his gaze dropped to the floor. _

_"Not some things, Alex. One thing. Can you tell me what it is?" Ian asked, reached out a hand to squeezed Alex's shoulder. _

_"Ash... Gibbs... just don't know!" Alex shouted before slapping Ian's hand away. _

_"What about these two men is bothering you?" Ian pushed, knowing that this had to end before Alex killed himself. _

_"I trusted them! I trusted them and they betrayed me!" Alex shouted and dropped to his knees, worn out emotionally as well as physically; images of Ash blowing up his parent's plane and the picture of him unconscious flashed before Alex's eyes. _

_"Alex, let it go. You need to let it go or you'll die!" Ian exclaimed fiercely. _

_"But you're here, you're helping me!" Alex cried and looked up. _

_"No, Alex. I'm not helping I'm killing you because I'm not Ian... I'm your mind... I'm killing you... let go, Alex, let go." Ian's face dissolved and Alex was left alone in the blank white room. _

_"No... no!" Alex exclaimed and touched his forehead to the floor. "Let it go... let it go..." Alex began chanting and soon the white walls started melting and Alex was alone in the pitch black. "Was this what he- I meant?" Alex asked as the blackness over came him and all thought process ended._

_

* * *

_

**I thought I might be pushing the boundary on the 'Alex character' I'd previously written (in earlier chapters) but I don't think I've quite gone over the edge and actually made him be out of character. **

**Close but not quite. **

**Please let me know if this chapter made no sense... I'm basically trying to solve any unfinished business and answer questions.**

**Okay then, see you next chapter...**


	35. Tony's Grumpiness

**Wow... **

**Only like twenty more review to get to one hundred. **

**Anyone whose ever reviews or will review, anonymous or otherwise, thanks, I really appreciate it. **

**It's always nice to know that someone is reading what you write? **

**Right? **

**(Sorry about the cheesy play or words... can't promise it won't happen again.)**

* * *

Alex slowly rolled onto his side... and right off the bed. Groaned, the teenager sat up and looked around. It had been six thirty when Alex had fallen as sleep and it was now two in the morning.

"Crap! I guess I worked myself harder than I thought!" Alex exclaimed as he realized he'd slept longer than his normal six hours. To a regular person, sleeping seven and a half hours would have been barely enough; but to Alex more than six hours was sleeping in. "Damn, what am I suppose to do now?" He asked his dark, empty room as if it would answer. "Wonder why I slept longer anyways..." He thought aloud, scratching his neck.

Then it hit him... he was relaxed... he wasn't tired... he'd slept late... he hadn't had a nightmare. "Unless you count that really weird dream with Ian as a nightmare." Alex grumbled with a laugh as he tore into a package of trail mix from his gym bag.

After Alex had eaten, he booted up his computer and checked email; he had to download new firewalls and update security measures every day so that when he went on to the next part of his mission he'd be up to the challenge and no one would find out his identity.

"Gibbs finding out is bad enough... but it was his own fault for digging." Alex pondered this. _But if the people from where I'm heading find out... I'm doomed... they're doomed..._ Alex thought. "I won't have any one else's death on my hands." Alex declared under his breath as he turned off his computer and climbed under the covers, snuggling into the cold sheets as to warm then with his body heat.

By the time Alex had closed his eyes once more and fallen asleep it was three thirty. "See you at ten o'clock, Gibbs." Alex whispered just before his mind was swallowed by blackness and his world went blank.

Mercifully or miraculously, the nightmares didn't come. Alex slept a peacefully and uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

"Tony," Ziva asked as she met her coworker at the elevator and they both stepped inside making them the only two in the metal box suspended by cables.

"Yes, Ziva?" Tony asked without some sort of snarky comment, as if reading the seriousness in the dark haired woman's voice.

Ziva leaned forward and shut the elevator down, turning it into her own private conference room. "Tony," Ziva repeated, staring into Tony's greenish colored eyes.

"Ziva?" Tony asked, his voice sounding husky in the quiet. "Oh, Ziva." Tony groaned and reached out to cup the back of the woman's head in his large palm.

"Tony," Whispered Ziva as she returned Tony's gentle kiss with her own fierce one. "Invite me to your place after work." Ziva commanded forcefully but softly.

"Umm," Tony mumbled and drew back slightly.

Ziva, hurt by what she thought was rejection, withdrew her hands and moved to shove Tony away. "Stop that!" Tony cried and pulled the woman against his chest, burying his face in her hair. "It's not that I don't what to do this it's that I don't think that going in to _my_ apartment is the best idea. It's a total mess! A disaster! I haven't cleaned or had it cleaned in years!" Tony declared softly, chucking slightly.

Upon hearing this Ziva laughed softly and relaxed into Tony's grasp.

"I would, however, enjoy your invitation very much." Tony mumbled as he bent slightly to tickle Ziva's ear with the tip of his tongue.

"Mmm," Ziva purred. "Maybe some other time." She said so quickly that Tony almost didn't hear her.

"Wha-" Tony stared to argue when Ziva hit the 'on' button and the doors slid open.

Ziva walked out of the elevator, full of confidence, followed closely but an angry and uncomfortable Tony.

"I hate you!" Tony said and glared at Ziva as he walked by her desk to get to his own.

"No you don't." Ziva replied softly so only he could hear her before she took her seat.

"Well my not so little friend certainly doesn't want me to hate you." Tony replied as he crossed back to Ziva's desk to tower over her seated form.

"Your '_not so little friend'_... Tony, really?" Ziva asked playfully, cocking an eyebrow gracefully.

Tony just glared before spinning around and waltzing over to McGee's desk.

"I want coffee!" He grouched and crossed his arms.

"Are you offering or telling me to go get you some?" McGee asked cautiously.

Tony's shoulders lost some of their tenseness. "Are you offering to go get the coffee?" He asked coyly.

"No." McGee replied firmly.

"Then I'm offering. Hand over ten bucks." Tony said and waited until the other man gave him some cash.

"Boss?" Tony asked Gibbs, who also handed over some money.

As Tony passed Ziva's desk it was clear that the offer did not stand for him to get her coffee.

"What did you do to him to make him so grumpy?" McGee asked as soon as Tony was gone.

Ziva shrugged. "I do not really know. It is so easy to set Tony off, you know how he is." Ziva said dismissivly.

McGee nodded, accepting this answer.

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow but let it go. Better to not get involved than lose Ziva again... or possible DiNozzo... or worse, both.

* * *

**If you haven't already started reading Tony's Gift then you just got a little glimpse of what it's like.**

**Just sayin'...**

**Tony's Gift**

**You know you want to read it...**


	36. Kort's Visit

**I have decided that if I can drag it out long enough -and remember, I'm not a miracle worker- then I'm going to end this story with fifty chapters and a final 'Author's Note'.**

**Sound good?**

**I hope so because I'm trying my best to get three chapters out a day. **

**Don't ask 'why three' because it just seems to be the number my fingers always type. **

**I'm not trying to produce a certain amount each day I just seem to always update with three new chapters each evening.**

**Oh well.**

**

* * *

**

Alex got to NCIS just in time to slid in between the elevator doors and ride up with Tony and four steaming cups of coffee.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming." Tony grumbled as he glanced down at the four cups.

"It's fine. I don't need coffe-" Alex began but was cut off.

Tony interrupted the teen by handing Alex a warm cup. "Nonsense! I didn't know if you were coming but I got you a cup anyway. Anyways, I'm mad at Ziva and didn't feel like getting any." Tony pouted like a child, even sticking his lower lip out for dramatics.

"Ahh, she turn down your pick up lines again?" Alex asked, only half joking.

Tony blinked before reached forward to turn off the elevator.

"Okay..." Alex mumbled, turning to face the older man with a tray of steaming beverages clasped between his hands.

"She didn't turn me do because I didn't offer! She did! She turns off the elevator and we start making out and then she say that I should invite her to my place and I, of course, tell her that's a bad idea. No because I don't want to go but because my place is a mess. Then I say I'd be happy to go to her place and she says she'll think about it and turns the elevator back on!" Tony babbled while Alex just stared at him.

Sighing, Alex realized that he was going to have to play '_team_ _counselor_' again. "And how did that make you react?" Alex purposefully didn't ask about feelings because it was the one area he knew next to nothing about.

"I was... uncomfortable..." Tony said meaningfully. "You know, like only a guy can be?" He asked, trying to convey his meaning. "Don't tell me you've never-"

"Tony! I'm a teenager! You don't ask us these kind of questions because we're taught to avoid answering them at all costs!" Alex whispered, horrified. "Besides I'm not about to talk about sex in an elevator with another guy!" Alex exclaimed, backing away as far as he could in the small space.

"Right!" Tony agreed and turned the elevator back on. "Sorry. Won't happen again, buddy."

Alex smiled and shook his head, knowing that Tony would always be Tony.

"When will you ever learn?" Alex asked and Tony smiled bashfully.

Alex and Tony exited the elevator laughing loudly.

* * *

Gibbs glanced up as the elevator opened, expecting Max and DiNozzo. Instead, Trent Kort appeared, grinning broadly. "I'm here to meet your little English agent, agent Gibbs."

"Special Agent Gibbs." McGee corrected as he stood.

"Hmm," Kort hummed as he glanced around the bullpen. "Where is he? And where is your Anthony?"

Ziva cringed when Kort used Tony's first name.

"DiNozzo's getting coffee, the 'agent on loan' hasn't show up for work yet." Gibbs answered before McGee or Ziva could.

"I see..." Kort said with a smile, trying to hide him from me, are you?" He asked, clearly not looking for an answer since he believe Max's absence spoke for its self.

All of a sudden the elevator doors slid open once more and the sound of laughter spread across the floor.

"I guess Max is all it took to cheer Tony up." McGee muttered as the two grinning men appeared.

"Sorry I'm late, boss." Max muttered sheepishly, his gaze never flickering to Kort.

"It's fine, don't be late tomorrow." Gibbs replied before waving the '_man_' away.

Kort, Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and Tony all watched as Max passed by Kort without seeing him and took a seat at the desk just outside of what was considered the bullpen. Max had sat down at the desk Gibbs use to make Ziva sit at after Kate's death.

The entire team realized what Max was doing and acted as if the young man always sat so far away with his gym bag on the desk besides him and a slight smile on his face. The team had also noticed that Max has switched back to using the drawl with no geographic trace that he'd first spoken with when he'd come to NCIS.

"Would you like to meet Max?" Gibbs asked Kort as the man eyed Max with skepticism.

Kort sneered at Gibbs and moved to stand in front of Max's desk.

Max glanced up after a moment and jumped, his eyes going wide. "Sorry," Max said with a small grin. "I didn't see you there. Is there something I can help you with?"

"You got an ID?" Kort asked without pause.

Max's smile faded and his eyes flickered to Gibbs.

"Give it to him." Gibbs said while nodded.

Max slowly nodded too and pulled his gym bag towards him before reaching in and ruffling through it.

"You need to wash your gym clothes." Gibbs said as Max pulled out his wallet.

Max sent Gibbs a brilliant grin as he handed over his drivers license, his visa, and a student ID card that all claimed Max Payton was a twenty two year old British college exchange student with clearance to work for NCIS.

"Hmm, you're twenty two?" Kort asked, staring down at the man that looked older.

"I smoked... a lot..." Max said, blushed deeply as he's eyes dropped shyly.

"Hmm," Kort muttered again as he tossed the cards to the floor. "Gibbs!" He called.

Much to everyone's surprised, Gibbs followed Kort to the elevator where it was immediately turned off.

* * *

"So, who do you think he is?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, it's not Jameston and it's not Rider." Kort replied, his eyes thoughtful. "I actually don't know who he is. Let me get back to you on that. He might not be British at all." Kort said after a moment and turned the elevator back on and opening the doors so Gibbs could set out before Kort continued down and out of NCIS.

"Well?" Alex asked, standing next to Tony's desk; he wasn't sitting in case Kort came back and his stuff remained at the other desk.

Gibbs knew something was wrong because Alex continued to use his elusive accent rather than switching back to his natural British one.

"He doesn't think you're from Britain." Gibbs replied, following Alex's gaze to find the bugging device planted under the rim of his desk.

Alex snorted. "I hate to disagree... but..."

"Then don't. Leave the idiot to his own means, Max." Gibbs said and plucked the bug off his desk and crushed it. "No one says a word about anything confidential until Abby's run a search. Got it?" Gibbs asked, making eye contact with each member of his team.

Tony, Ziva, McGee, and finally Alex all nodded.

"Good. Get back to work." Gibbs said and headed for his phone. "Hey, Abs,"


	37. Ziva's Command

**Ha ha... just yesterday I was bragging about how I write three chapters a day and today I barely get out one!**

**Not my fault, I had to babysit (really good money in it for anyone looking to earn a little cash).**

**Anyways, here's the next totally not slap dash chapter. **

* * *

While Abby searched the bullpen for bugs Ziva and Alex quietly bowed out and headed downstairs to train.

After half an hour of punching a bag and other stretches, Ziva decided that she and Alex were warmed up enough to spar.

"Ready?" Ziva asked as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet.

"I want to try something new today." Alex replied instead of his usual, 'yeah'.

"Oh?" Ziva inquired.

"Mmhm. I want to talk while we spar to see how distracted we can get without it affecting our form." Alex mumbled as he stepped, clockwise, in a circle around Ziva.

"Hmm, fine. Ready?" Ziva asked again.

"Yeah." And almost before the word had left Alex's mouth Ziva attacked. "Okay, ladies first." Alex said after a long second.

"Do have a girlfriend?" Ziva asked, figuring that Alex, like any other teenager, would become embarrassed by the subject of his love life.

"No." Alex replied curtly, landing a soft punch to Ziva's ribs.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Ziva asked irritably, annoyed that her plan had backfired.

"Yes." Alex answered and lightly tapped Ziva in the back of the knee with his bare foot. "My turn... how far have you and Tony's gone?"

Ziva was so shocked that Alex managed to move in and swipe her feet out from under her, knocking her to the ground.

Alex continued to bounce above her, waiting for Ziva to get up.

"What, how, I," Ziva spluttered as she continued to lay on the ground.

Alex sighed and reached down to haul the woman to her feet. "For anyone who looks hard enough and spends any time around you two at all knows that there is something between you. Whether it is attraction or more... is inconclusive. My money is on you two stepping across the playful banter field and into the touching stage but I would also bet that you haven't gone any farther than kissing. Am I right?" Alex asked as Ziva stared up at him.

The woman blinked and slowly glanced around the empty gym. "Yes. How did you know?" She muttered.

"I guessed. Partly." Alex replied before grinning. "And Tony told me."

Ziva's eyes widened and Alex took off for the men's locker room, getting inside and closing the locker room door just in time to hear Ziva bellow in rage.

Grinning, Alex thought about Ziva would do to Tony once she had showered and changed. "Or not." Alex muttered, his eyes widening as he realized Ziva hadn't gone into the women's locker room... she'd gone upstairs. "Oops." Alex said, doing his best not to smirk to visible. "Hope Tony's alive enough to take me to that Indian place he promised me for lunch." Alex said as he stripped and stepped into the shower.

* * *

"Tony, would you please follow me." Ziva cooed as she stood in front of my desk. To the average person her tone might have sounded, friendly, sweet even; but I knew that it was deadly and dangerous... and directed at me.

_What did I do now? My gaze fluttered upwards and I realized that Ziva was still dressed in her gym clothes. "Umm, Ziva-" I began but was silenced by her eyes. "Where are me going?" I asked timidly, knowing I didn't want to go but if I didn't she'd only get madder and would probably just kill me in my sleep Christmas Eve. _

_"To the elevator." Ziva answered and spun on her heel. She headed right into the empty elevator and I had no choice but to follow her._

_Gulping audibly Tony stepped inside the elevator and waited for the doors to close. Almost before the elevator had stared descending Ziva flicked the off button and stared at him. _

_"You told Max what happened this morning?" She asked, and if Tony didn't know her better then he would have thought he heard pain in her voice. _

_Brushing the thought off, Tony nodded. "I needed to talk to someone and Max seemed like the best choice." He answered truthfully. _

_"Why?" Ziva asked, her eyes searching Tony's greenish ones. _

_"Because the kid has so many secrets of his own I didn't think he'd mind holding one of mine." He said and looked down, as Tony glanced back up he was thrown against the wall... and Ziva was wrapped around his neck, her tongue down his throat. _

_"My place, eight o'clock." Ziva whispered in Tony's ear before letting go of him and stepping back. "Be there or leave the country under an assumed name." Ziva threatened and turned the elevator back on. _

_Tony smiled happily before Ziva simultaneous slapped him across the face and stomped on his large foot. _

_"Ow! What was that for!" He shouted as the elevator doors opened, his glare fierce and real. _

_"You are a terrible actor." Ziva answered, as if it made total sense... which it actually did. _

_People would have wondered why I looked so happy so Ziva needed to rough me up and make me angry so as not to expose our secret... I guess... soon to be secret. _Tony thought, rubbing his cheek as it started to turn red.


	38. Alex's Family

**First chapter of the sequel is written but I'm not going to publish it until this story is over. **

* * *

That afternoon around noonish Tony did take Alex out to eat with McGee in tow. Ziva had stayed behind preferring to eat her salad and Gibbs never joined in on the team eat outs unless forced.

In the mean time Gibbs did go visit Director Vance.

"I have a name." Gibbs said as he entered the office and closed the door behind him.

"And?" Vance asked when Gibbs didn't continue.

"It didn't make me as happy as I thought it would." Gibbs said, crossing the room and falling into a seat.

Vance sighed and sat back down, he'd stood up upon Gibbs' entrance since the man normally stood. "And?"

"The kid still doesn't trust me and two days from now will be Christmas Eve and I can't help but feel that he won't stay for the holidays." Gibbs muttered, tugging on his ear.

"No, I can imagine he'll want to get home to be with his family." Vance said with a nod, thinking of his own children. "If what you've come up with is true than he's still young enough to want to visit mom and dad."

Gibbs nodded. "Funny thing... we've monitored his phone calls... he hasn't called anyone, ever. It makes me wonder what his situation at home is really like."

"Maybe that can be your next big mystery, solve that and you might just get your 'sense of happy' you haven't gotten yet." Vance declared jokingly.

"Hmm, maybe..." Gibbs muttered and stood. "Bye, Leon." He called over his shoulders, ignoring any protocol or even politeness he should have when it came to speaking to his boss.

"Some day I'm going to make that man go through a seminar on rudeness... just to wast tax payer's good money." Vance muttered as he pulled another paper out of his inbox. "Give him a set of rules so that he knows exactly what he's ignoring and breaking." He continued, smiling slightly. "Either that or just scold him for not showing up..." Vance's smile turned into a thoughtful frown as he mulled the '_seminar plan_' over. "Knowing him, he'd just find a way out of it that I wouldn't be able to criticize no matter how hard I tried." Vance said after a moment, shaking his head.

* * *

Once seated in the restaurant, Max and Tony ordered while McGee was in the bathroom.

As soon as the waiter left Max opened his mouth to speak. "I heard that Ziva 'beat you up' in the elevator, after training." The teen mumbled as to not be over heard.

"Well... not quite. She invited me back to- KINDERGARDEN and said that her lollypop was bigger than mine!" Tony practically shouted when McGee reached the table.

"Tony, you really should get some help." McGee said as he was sliding into his seat. "I mean, most guys don't remember stuff from their days as five year olds."

"I was six when I started kindergarden." Was Tony's witty come back.

Max stared at him, his eyebrows raised meaningfully.

"What?" Tony asked as the food arrived.

"If you don't have anything smart to say you should really just not speak at all." Max declared as he dug into his plate of steaming food with the hungriness of a growing teenage boy.

"Max, if Tony did that then we'd never hear his beautiful voice again." McGee said sarcastically, causing Tony to reach into his cup and pull out and ice cube. "Hey!" McGee exclaimed as Tony threw the cold chunk of frozen water at him, hitting him in the cheek with a wet smack.

"Well if you _didn't_ talk every time you had something _smart_ to say then we'd never have to hear you speak either, McGenius." Tony grumbled as he wiped his wet fingers on a napkin, an adorable pout finding its way to his face.

Max burst into laughter as the two adult men began glaring at each other like children on the playground fighting over the last shovel in the sand box.

"What!" Tony and McGee exclaimed at the same time, both snapping their heads to face Max.

"You two are both idiots!" Max exclaimed happily as he went back to eating. "Just plain stupid!" He chucked as McGee and Tony stared at him, dumbfounded.

"And he says I'm the stupid one!" McGee grumbled, taking a drink of his water.

"Stupid teenager!" Tony grunted as he too dug into his food.

Both men ignored Max during the rest of the meal and all the way back to NCIS.

"Done pouting?" Max asked on the elevator ride up.

"No." McGee declared with a huff.

"Maybe.. maybe not." Tony said in a snotty tone.

For the second time that day Max exited the elevator laughing at the top of his lungs.

* * *

"Max, with me." Gibbs said hours later. It was twenty minutes from when the team would get to go home.

Alex looked up from his spot on the floor before standing and gathering his stuff.

"You're leaving?" Tony asked jealously.

"You never know with Gibbs." Was Alex's reply.

Sending his friends and colleagues one last grin, Alex followed Gibbs to the elevator.

"Yeah, Gibbs?" Alex asked as soon as the older man had turned off the power.

"When are you leaving?" Gibbs asked frankly.

Alex bit his lip, contemplating lying and telling the truth. Finally, Alex sighed and said, "I'll be here through Christmas Eve but I won't be at work Christmas day... or the day after... or the day after that." Alex stated, his meaning pretty clear.

Gibbs nodded. "I thought so. Goin' home to see you parents?" He asked after another long moment of silence.

Alex turned the power back on. "My parent's are both dead. As is all of my family. Oh, and my legal guardian too." Alex said crisply and emotionless before stepping out of the elevator, leaving Gibbs in compete and utter shock.

_Kid is worse off than I thought._ Gibbs' mind whispered as his eyes followed the slender form of a young boy who really wasn't a boy anymore. _Probably hasn't been a child in a long time._ Gibbs' mind told him as he followed Alex back into the bullpen.

"Ziva, take Max for a run." Gibbs said loud enough for Alex to hear.

The woman's gaze flickered over Gibbs before nodding. "Come on, Max. Let's go."

Gibbs watched as Max followed Ziva to the elevator, he looked like a sad, lost, little puppy.


	39. Palmer's Mouth

**Soooo close! **

**Almost one hundred reviews! **

**Getting so close!**

**I'll get back to writing what you really want to read now...**

* * *

"You guy's going out for a run?" Palmer asked as Alex entered the men's locker room, his eyes almost as bright as his smile.

"Yeah, you wanna come?" The teen asked slowly, observing the eagerness in the other man.

"Okay! I haven't gotten to run with anyone in a while... I usually just do a few laps around the track in here. But that's pretty boring," Palmer continued to babbled while Alex changed but the boy ignored him, shooing the other man out the door as soon as he was changed.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked as Alex and Palmer emerged, she eyed the doctor warily.

"Palmer's coming with us. I invited him..." Alex answered cautiously as he did a couple of stretches to warm up. "Ready?" He asked both Ziva and Palmer as soon as he decided he was ready to run without hurting himself.

"Yep!" Palmer exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay then..." Alex had to bit back a laugh as he took off up the stairs.

Half an hour later Alex found himself jogging through the park with Palmer on one side of him and Ziva on the other.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Palmer asked for at least the seven thousandth time.

Alex rolled his eyes where Ziva could see him but Palmer couldn't; this earned Alex a giant laugh from Ziva.

"Nice isn't the word I would use to describe him talking throughout our quite running time." Ziva whispered loudly but not loud enough that Palmer could hear her.

It was Alex's turn to laugh as Palmer continued to ramble on about the most random of things.

"Remind me to stop being so nice." Alex whispered back as he continued to run through the park, already broken out in a light sweat.

"No problem." Ziva grumbled as she tried to turn the other man out; she was failing miserable at the task.

* * *

"How'd your run go?" Tony asked absently, not bothering to look up as Ziva and Max re-entered the bullpen almost two hours later.

"It was wonderful! If you like listening to pointless stories and hearing non-sensible garble for an hour." Ziva replied with a snort as she plopped into her chair.

"Bloody awful!" Max grunted as he fell to the floor. "I think my _brain_ is more exhausted than my _body! _Which is unbelievable!" He moaned as he rubbed his temples.

McGee and Tony's eyes met before the both burst into laughter. "Awe, that just sucks for you guys!" McGee chucked as Tony spun around in his chair, cackling like a child.

"Palmer!" He exclaimed happily. "Remind me to take that guy out to lunch some time!"

All eyes turned to Tony and he realized they all believe him to be crazy.

"No! Not like that! I want to take all of us to lunch with Palmer and then find an excuse to leave you all there with him" Tony declared as he sat up and wiped his eyes.

"Do that Tony... and I will kill you." Ziva whispered loudly, this time it was loud enough for the person she was talking about to hear her threatening words.

"Okay," Tony gasped, starting to calm down slightly. "Okay," He repeated, smiling widely.

"What are all of you still doing here?" Gibbs asked as he came back into the bullpen. "Leave!" He waved and within moments the space had cleared.

"You sure do know how to clear a room, Jethro." Ducky mumbled as he stared at Tony's still spinning chair.

"I guess I do, Duck." Gibbs replied quietly, not hurt at all but Ducky's light jab.

Gibbs checked his phone for messages as Ducky continued to speak. "Maybe you'd like to hear about my time in Quantico with a sergeant Mary Draplin... my how she was beautiful, you would have liked her. She had long red hair, anyways this Mary knew how to clear a room almost as good as you seem to be able to, Jethro... Jethro?" Ducky asked as he realized Gibbs had also left. "It appeared I too have an natural talent to get people to leave me talking to myself." Ducky muttered as he placed his hat on his head and marched towards the elevator.

* * *

Tony waited, and waited, and waited until it was finally time before speeding over to Ziva's apartment and running up the stairs at break neck speed.

"You're early." Ziva said curtly as she opened to door and dragged Tony in by the lapels of the winter coat he'd just gotten out of storage that morning. "But I find myself wishing you'd have been earlier." Ziva whispered in his ear as clothing started flying and Tony was backed into Ziva's bed room.

"Next time, I will be." Tony declared several minutes later.

"Assuming there will be a next time." Ziva replied as she snuggled into Tony's bare shoulder and his arm wrapped around her.

"There will be." Tony said confidently.

"Hmm, I suppose so." Ziva murmured as she rolled on top of Tony once again. "But for now..." She trailed off seductively.

"Now is good." Tony said quickly. "Now is very good for me."

* * *

**There! **

**Not much point to this chapter other than continuing to set up for Tony's Gift (which is already out by the way).**

**Just in case you didn't know.**


	40. Whose Trustworthy

**Quick shout out to FairELF; was one hundredth review.**

**Thanks for everyone who helped me get to ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS by reviewing.**

**Okay, now for another chapter.**

**This entire chapter is dedicated to the one and only Gibbs.**

**I guess there is a little bit of Alex too...**

**Why not throw in a little bit of Kort and Ducky, just to be fair.**

* * *

Gibbs fled from Ducky's story almost before it had began, happy to take the stairs down rather than wait for the elevator like he normally would have done.

"I must be getting old," Gibbs thought out loud as he reached down to rub a knee after his many story decent.

"Not that old." A voice said as Gibbs exited the stairwell and found himself in the NCIS parking garage.

Gibbs glanced up to find Alex leaning against his car. "You-"

"Wanna ride back to my hotel?" Alex filled in before Gibbs could say more. "Yes, that would be great." The teen said with a small smile, his eyes dancing even in the dim light.

Gibbs unlocked his car manually. "Get in." He said and motioned for Alex to slid into the passenger seat while he dropped into the drivers seat. Gibbs glancing over at the teenager as he stuck the key in the ignition. "You know how to drive?" Gibbs asked after a long moment of staring.

Alex nodded. "Ever since my feet could reach the peddles." He clarified.

"You ever driven in America... on the right side of the road?" Gibbs asked, not meaning for there to be a pun in his words.

"I've never driven on the wrong side of the road, Gibbs." Apparently Alex had thought that Gibbs' statement was a joke. "But to answer your question, yes, I have driven the American way before."

"Good. Drive yourself to the hotel." Gibbs said and got out of the car.

Alex blinked before he too climbed out and switched spots with Gibbs; who was now in the passenger seat, buckling himself in.

"Ready for this?" Alex asked with a grin.

"Sure am." Gibbs said and closed his eyes as Alex turned the key in the ignition.

"That's cheating." Alex said once on the road as he adjusted the mirrors to fit the few extra inches he had on Gibbs.

"Not if it's my car." Gibbs retorted.

"Ahh," Alex murmured as he executed a perfect right turn. "But how will you know when to throw yourself from the car before it turns into a moving ball of flaming fury.

"I guess I'm just going to have to trust the driver to take care of me." Gibbs replied after a moment, his voice heavy with seriousness.

"Trust... me... Do you trust me, Gibbs?" Alex asked after another long silence.

Gibbs didn't answer until Alex braked at a stop light. "Ask me again when you've gotten me and my car safety to the hotel."

Alex laughed as he hit the gas and roared through the intersection. "Okay, I will."

* * *

Gibbs pondered his reply, _Did I really mean it? Do I trust Max... Alex? Or is it just my need to be a father to young people.._. Gibbs was having a hard time answering his own question as he kept his eyes closed. Doing his best to ignore Max and what the boy was doing.

"We're here." Max said as he shifted the car into park and turned the key to silence the engine.

"And?" Gibbs asked, opening his eyes.

"Not a scratch on her, boss." Max said, his grin cocky and arrogant while at the same time still boyish and playful.

"And?" Gibbs asked again.

"Well, I guess..." Max asked, some of his confidence flying out the window. "I- Do you trust me, Gibbs?"

Gibbs stared at Max for a moment. "Who are you?"

Max stared at Gibbs for a long time before slowly closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat.

"Tell me who you are and I'll answer the question." Gibbs said when the boy didn't speak.

"Max Payton?" Max asked as he kept his eyes closed and his head back.

"No." Gibbs answered.

Max sighed and opened his eyes at the same time as turning to face Gibbs. "Do you trust me, Gibbs? Me, Alex Rider? Do you trust Alex Rider?"

Gibbs stared at Alex for a long time before answering.

* * *

Gibbs drove home and parked his car in his garage before heading inside and down the stairs.

_Was my answer right? Was I being truthful? To myself... to Alex..._ Thought, and questions raced through his head as Gibbs sat down and picked up a tool before using it on his boat.

"Shit!" Gibbs cursed as he cut his hand.

"That wasn't very smart," Kort called from above.

Gibbs raised and eyebrow and stared up at the man. "What do you want?" Gibbs asked after a moment.

"You know who that man is. I don't." Kort replied after a moment of staring.

"And?" Gibbs asked as he stood and set his tool down while examining his hand.

"I'm cashing in my favor." Kort replied, his eyes meting Gibbs' ice blue gaze.

* * *

**Just want to say that now that I'm finally going back to school my chapters may be coming out a little slower but I'll still try to get one to two out a day. **

**Three if you're lucky.**

**Anyways...**


	41. Absolutely Pathetic

**Ha!**

**What'd I tell you?**

**Only able to get out one chapter today, sorry.**

**Oh well... anyways, here it is.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked, his gaze hardening and a frown sweeping across his features.

"I want you to tell me the real name of the man you call Max..." Kort replied with no hesitation whatsoever.

Gibbs looked away from Kort, his eyes searching his basement, his gaze sweeping over everything in sight except for Kort. "Why?" He finally asked, still not looking at the other man.

Kort slammed his fists down upon Gibbs' work table. "Because I don't know who he is! No one does! Everything about him checks out; his passport his license even that stupid gym member ship from a club in the United Kingdom says that 'Max Payton' is a real person!" With each sentence Kort slammed his fist down again.

Gibbs paused again before making eye contact with Kort. "And?" Gibbs asked.

Kort stared at the silver hair man standing before him before blinking twice rapidly and spinning on his heel.

Gibbs thought that the man was leaving and was almost surprised when Kort spun back around and marched to stand nose to nose with Gibbs.

"Something I can help you with-" Gibbs stared but never had the chance to finish.

"Shut up!" Kort interrupted.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and leaned back.

Kort grinned, thinking he'd scared the other man... right up until the point where his nose began spurting blood all over his crisp, freshly laundered and pressed, white shirt.

"Ahh," Kort gasped as he stumbled against the wall. "Ahh," Another moan was drawn from his lips as he realized that his nose was now broken. "What have you done?" Kort stared at Gibbs. "What did you do to me?"

"I broke your nose." Gibbs replied simply.

"What..." Kort wasn't really asking but using questioning words anyways.

"You heard me... and felt me... I broke your nose." Gibbs repeated.

"Yo. Are. Going. To. Regret. That." Kort said menacingly, slowly and punctually.

"Not as much as you're going to regret telling me to 'shut up' in my own home. And trust me, you will regret your words tomorrow when your entire face is black and blue and a woman won't be able to stand looking at your nose unless she's being paid." Gibbs said crudely.

"Ah," Kort gasped again, the sound shorter and more pained than before.

"You can go." Gibbs motioned towards the basement stairs and gave the bleeding man a slight shove when he stared at Gibbs, not fully understanding what the older man was trying to convey to him. "Oh, and don't come back until as least after Valentine's day. Got it?" Gibbs asked as he slammed his front door in the other man's face.

Kort stood outside as it started to snow lightly.

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic." Gibbs muttered under his breath as he didn't even bother to lock his front door but headed back downstairs to the basement to work on his boat.

* * *

Alex entered his hotel room and flopped down on his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes to shield them from the bright light of the fixture handing directly above him on the ceiling.

Exactly sixteen seconds later Alex glanced down as his watch before sighing and climbing back to his feet. The teen quickly locked his door in every way possible before sliding a chair under the door knob and pressing the couch up against it.

Wiping his hands together with a satisfied smirk, Alex rolled his shoulders and headed for the shower. Stripping as he walked, throwing his clothes this way and that.

"That otta keep Wolf out for at least a few hours." Alex muttered to himself as he climbed into the showered and turned the water on, full blast as hot as it could got. The teenager sighed happily as the roaring water kept him from hearing the roaring man pounding on the other side of his hotel room door.

Alex sighed again as his muscles, one by one, lost some of their tenseness as the stress of the day was blasted away from his body by steamy jets of hot water.

* * *

"Cub! Open this door right now!" Wolf shouted, confident that he would be able to either get in or get away before anyone noticed him and called security. "Cub!" Wolf called again to no avail. "Hey, punk! Open this door or I'm going to cut you up into bit sized pieces and eat you for breakfast while watching about your mysterious disappearance on the news!"

Wolf pounded once more on the door; unsuccessful, the man quickly jogged to the stair well and threw open the door before hurtling down just as a neighbor stuck his head out to see what all the commotion was.

"Stupid kids!" The man muttered loudly as he turned and when back inside. "There weren't half as bad during my day as they are now!" The elderly man exclaimed to his wife.

"I know deary, but just remember, our grandsons are just like that." The white haired old woman said gently, paying her grumpy husband no heed.

"Humfph!" The man exclaimed as he slouched back in front of the television.

"Stupid kids is right!" Wolf exclaimed, shaking his head back and forth from his hiding spot just out of sight as he listened to everything the couple was saying using a special listening device provided by MI6. "Then again, I can't say the kids were much better in my day... I was one of them!" Wolf chucked as he headed for his room, decided to give Alex one last night of freedom.

* * *

Alex stepped out of the bathroom, a single towel wrapped around his narrow waist and looked around; he was sure his blockade would keep Wolf out... but not one hundred percent positive even though he'd walked out bare chested despite the possibility Wolf would see him.

Smiling, Alex realized he had nothing to worry about and relaxed completely. "Guess I can be pretty handy after all. Then again, if I wasn't handy I wouldn't be in this mess..." The teen muttered to himself almost regretfully, as he dressed for bed in a t-shirt and boxers then rearranged his furniture so that is was back to the way it had been an hour earlier. "Cool, probably should upload that new firewall..." Alex muttered as he slipped under the covers and fell instantly asleep.

Six hours later Alex blinked open his eyes and smiled slightly. "I did say I probably should..." And closed them once more before falling into a peaceful, dreamless blackness for the next six hours.

* * *

**Sorry for anyone who wants to know the answer to "Does Gibbs trust Alex or not?" **

**I guess you'll just have to read the next chapter to find out...**


	42. Gift Exchange

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday... or the day before that.**

**But God!**

**It was only two days! **

**Today's the third day I wouldn't have updated!**

**Which I just did... or am doing depending upon how you view- you get the point!**

**Here's the next stinkin' chapter...**

* * *

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we're going to do a gift exchange!" Abby cried as she rushed into the bullpen just before Alex and Ziva could leave for their morning work out.

Glancing up, McGee chocked on his flavored water. "What! Why?"

"Why are we doing an exchanged tomorrow when we could do it two days from now on Christmas?" Tony complained, sticking his lower lip out and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Because Abby says we're doing it tomorrow." Gibbs announced as he made eye contact with the woman; Abby had said and done exactly what he'd told her to say and do.

"Right, boss!" McGee called from his desk as he screwed the lid back on his water bottle.

"Sure thing." Tony grumbled unhappily.

Gibbs shook his head, chuckling silently to himself as he moved behind his desk.

Abby smiled and flitted out of the bullpen just as quickly as she had entered.

"What should I get everyone?" Tony asked McGee a few minutes later.

"I want a new chip for my camera." McGee replied without looking up, not really caring what the other man was truly asking.

"You could get me a new pair of sunglasses, maybe blue and silver..." Alex replied from the floor, rubbing his jaw as if deep in thought about how cool he'd look with a new pair of shades.

"Ziva?" Tony asked when the woman didn't answer.

"A new NCIS sweatshirt." She mumbled.

"Right," Tony muttered back.

Ziva's dark eyes flickered towards Tony's, her smirk playful.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Tony practically shouted and jumped up from his seat.

Two minutes later, exactly, Alex watched Ziva slip out to also '_go to the bathroom_'.

Alex smirked. _"Wonder what those two love birds are talking about..."_ He thought as he continued to flip through a magazine.

* * *

"What do you really want for Christmas?" Tony asked Ziva as he leaned down to press a kiss into her neck.

"Oh Tony... Tony, Tony, Tony," Ziva muttered, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

Tony froze, recognizing the tone of his voice. "Umm, sweetheart-" And was cut off when her fist slammed into his stomach. Tony keeled over, thankful that she hadn't punched him as hard as she could have.

"I'm Jewish. Remember?" She asked just before she stalked back to her desk, leaving Tony panting in the hall.

* * *

Alex watched as Ziva re-entered the bullpen, a satisfied smirk upon her lips and a look of hurt in her eyes.

"Oops." Alex muttered as Tony staggered in moments later, looking like he'd just gotten sucker punched. "What'd you do?" Alex whispered.

"I forgot that she doesn't celebrate Christmas." Tony groaned back.

Alex smirked, "Ahh, young love..."

Tony just pushed a pile of papers off his desk and on top of Alex.

"Hey!" The teenager exclaimed... and the war had begun.

* * *

That afternoon, over lunch break, Tony headed over to a family owned and run jewelry business.

"Hello! How my I help you?" A chipper young woman exclaimed as Tony entered.

"I'm looking for something to give to my girlfriend..." Tony replied, wiping his feet on the rug just inside the door.

"Oh course! A ring..." At Tony's look of horror the woman quickly amended. "Or! We have a nice selection of bracelets and necklaces..."

Tony smiled sheepishly. "Bracelets would be nice," He answered bashfully.

"How about this?" The woman asked, holding out a diamond tennis bracelet. "I'm sure it would make a fine Christmas gift..." She trailed off suggestively. Unfortunately for the woman her words the were meant to enticing the buyer into buying, caused Tony to back away.

"On second thought, how about a nice non Christmas-ie necklace!" And fled towards a different display.

"Do you not celebrate Christmas?" The woman asked, horrified that she could have made such a grave mistake.

"No, I celebrate Christmas... she just doesn't." He muttered absently. "What about this one?" Tony asked, holding up a long gold chain with a emerald pendent on the end.

"This would be perfect for someone with dark features." The woman answered.

"Perfect. I'll take it!" Tony exclaimed.

"Don't you want to know what the price is?" The woman asked.

"Nope! I want you to put it on my credit card so that I never know!" Tony said with a wide smile.

"Oh, I see." The woman grinned back.

"Yeah," Tony glanced around the shop while the woman was packaging in necklace and putting the bill on his credit card. "Just for the record..." Tony stared. "How much was the necklace?"

The woman peered at Tony, as if trying to figure something out. "You want me to lie to you... don't you?" She asked after a long moment.

"Yes please." Tony grinned, his body language relaxed and relieved.

"Four thousand dollars!" The woman said as she handed the box and the plastic card to Tony. "No returns."

"What! I said lie, woman! Lie!" Tony exclaimed, clearly stunned.

"Oh, I see." Tony gave the woman a 'like duh!' look before she continued. "I suppose you thought that I would under cut the price..." Tony nodded eagerly. "Well... I didn't. I over cut it!" The woman laughed.

"You... over... cut... the price..." Tony mumbled, taking a few minutes to process her words.

"I hope the lucky girl getting this knows just what a keeper you are." The woman muttered under her breath as she turned to smile at the next person entering her store.

"I hope she does too..." Tony said with a sigh as he stuffed the box into an inside pocket of his winter coat.


	43. Stone Carvings

**Anyways, anyways, anyways, anyways, anyways, (if you - of the random off chance - happen to catch on, please laugh instead of calling me a jerk) anyways, anyways, anyways, anyways, anyways.**

**Okay, now that that's all over. **

**I'm going to apologize now, I haven't been updating very often... and this chapter is pretty short.**

**Not over the top short but still not very long.**

**Hope you like it anyways.**

**

* * *

**

After his run with Ziva, Alex decided that he too was going to head out and go shopping for Christmas presents.

"And I guess one Hanukah present!" Alex added with a chuckle as he remembered the killer look Ziva had been giving Tony for the last several hours. "Wonder what I should get..." The teenager trailed off as he entered the first shop filled with Asian nick knacks.

Alex wandered across and the store until he stood in front of a counter displaying dozens of animals carved out of different stones.

"Hmm..." The teenager muttered as he peered down at a small green figure. "I wonder." He murmured as he reached down and drew the figurine closer to his eyes.

The figurine was carved out of a black stone with a red beak, the animal was a swan. "Perfect!" Alex exclaimed as he turned the creature around and found that on the other side there was a white swan depicted. "Abby will love this."

Alex moved onto the next animal. This creature was a squirrel. "Incredibly smart... and annoying. McGee will love it as long as I don't tell him the second reason I thought it was perfect for him." Alex said to himself with a rueful grin.

"Ahh, just what Tony needs! A wolf!" The furry creature was made of granite giving off an almost realistic look.

"And for Ziva, how about a dolphin. Beautiful, intelligent, and deadly all at the same time." Alex said with a smirk.

"I'll get an orangutan for Ducky," Alex muttered absently as he continued to go down his list. "A dog, maybe a puppy for Palmer. And what about Gibbs..." Alex trailed off.

"A lion?" The teen asked himself. "No," The replied, ruling the animal out. "While the lion leads he makes the women do all of his dirty work." Alex rubbed his chin. "What about an eagle?" He thought about this one. "Or a hawk... no, I think and eagle is the best choice." Alex finished and moved to the check out line where he proceeded to flirt mercilessly with the dark haired counter worker.

Just as Alex was about to leave, he noticed the girl slip something into his bag. Once outside the shop Alex reached in and discovered that what she had dropped in him bag was nothing more than his receipt. "Damn! I was sure she'd give me her number!" Alex exclaimed as he flipped the piece of paper over just in case... sure enough, scribbled on the back was the seven digit cell phone number and the name 'Kim'. "I rock!" Alex exclaimed cheerfully as he crinkled the receipt and tossed in into a nearby garbage can.

He hadn't even bothered to memorize it.

* * *

"What should I get him for Christmas?" Gibbs asked Ducky as he entered the morgue.

Ducky answered, already knowing who Gibbs was referring to. "Something special. Not something a normal boy would want but something of value... not necessarily money value." Ducky said meaningfully.

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked angrily, mostly because he was confused.

"What was your favorite Christmas present... that you ever received?" Ducky asked, after a moment of silence he went on. "Don't said it out loud just think about it."

Gibbs was thinking about something, it was the picture his daughter had drawn for him of Santa Claus.

"Now think about what you want to give Max." Ducky finished, he hadn't stopped working on the body for even a moment.

Gibbs nodded silently before leaving the room.

"Well, sir, that was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I'm glad you could meet him." Ducky told that body he was examining.

Of course, the body didn't answer.

* * *

Instead of heading for the mall like the rest of his team, Gibbs stayed at the office preferring the bullpen to crowds of last minute shoppers. He knew what he was going to give Alex and he knew that he didn't need to spend any money on it. Gibbs already owned the item and was glad of it.

"Already know where it is too, so I don't even have to go home right now to look for it." The man grumbled as he waited for McGee, Tony, Ziva, and Alex to return from their very, very long lunch break over which they had all gone shopping for each other's gifts. "I hate shopping." Gibbs muttered as he placed an order with the NCIS store. "They will just get what they get." He finished and hit the 'deliver immediately' button at the bottom of the screen.

"I suppose I should get cards." Gibbs grumbled as he stood and headed out of NCIS. Luckily, he didn't have to go far. Right down the street was a handmade card store where Gibbs was able to find several Christmas cards and even a Hanukkah card. "Love small businesses." Gibbs said happily as he headed out of the shop and back to work.

* * *

**Okay, no comments about 'you can't carve out of that type of stone' or 'you should have used this kind of stone'.**

**My dad is a geologist and if I wanted those kind of things to be part of my story then they would be.**

**Obviously, I didn't want them in there.**

**Got it?**

**Hope so.**

**Review about all other stuff... please. **


	44. What Question

**Wow... I really don't know if I'm going to be able to drag this story out long enough to make it to fifty... mind giving me some ideas?**

**What is the one thing you'd like to see me write about that I haven't put in my story? **

**While you're thinking about that I'll just try and make another chapter longer... aka, this one below. **

**

* * *

**

As the day was drawing to a close one by one the entire team left and finally Alex stood up and stretched.

"Mind if I use your car to give myself a ride to my hotel?" Alex asked quietly as he stared down at Gibbs who was still sitting behind his desk with his reading glasses on.

"Sure, one second... you go out and I'll be there eventually." Gibbs replied absently as he didn't even bother to look up.

Alex nodded even though he knew Gibbs wasn't paying any attention to him. "'kay." The teen muttered once inside the elevator. "Just got to get back to my hotel and then make it back here tomorrow morning and through the day... then I'll be done here and able to move on to the real mission."

* * *

Gibbs didn't follow Alex for about ten more minutes but finally managed to appear in the parking garage with his car keys in hand.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked as he plopped down into the passenger seat and handed the key ring to the teenager behind the wheel.

"Of course I'm ready... the real question is are you?" Alex joked as he stared the car and sped out of the cement structure at top speeds.

"Whoa! Slow down there or you'll get us... pulled... over..." Gibbs started to trailed off at 'us' when he saw flashing lights in the mirror. "Damn, kid!" Gibbs grumbled as he began to dig through the glove box compartment to find the registration papers.

Sure enough, as soon as Alex managed to pull off the road and into a quiet parking lot the police officer emerged from his car and tapped on Gibbs' window. "License and registration." The cop demanded gruffly.

"Here's the registration, Max where is your license?" Gibbs asked as he handed over the sheets of paper.

"Oh! Sorry," Max said in his best American accent. "It's right here." And the 'man in his twenties' handed over his license.

"You do realize that you were speeding..." The officer began.

"How much over could I have possibly been going?" Alex cut in.

The officer glared at Alex before answering. "You were going fifty-one in a forty-five."

"Six! That the difference!" When Alex realized that the officer wasn't swayed the reevaluated and started over. "Look, can't we work something out here sweetheart?"

The disgusted police officer reared back from Alex's flirting and the next thing he knew, he had a expensive ticket in between his fingers.

"That's why in America," Gibbs began.

"You never flirt with female cops. Got it." Alex grumbled as he drove away.

Gibbs let out a rare laugh.

* * *

**Bet you weren't expecting that! **

**The cop was a girl!**

**Ha!**

**Okay... maybe she was a _woman_... but whatever! **

**It reminds me of that joke that talks about the boy's father dying in a car accident and the boy being rushed to a hospital where the doctor says that 'they can't operate on the boy because he is their son'... and when people try and figure out how that is possible the never consider that the doctor is the boy's _mother_****.**

**Anyways, back to the story you really want to read.**

* * *

Alex slowed and came to a stop in front of his hotel before he shifted the gear into park and turned off the engine.

"Yes?" Gibbs asked almost warily.

"You know, you never did answer my question..." Alex started and trailed off.

"What question?" Gibbs asked evasively.

"I think you know," Alex paused, when Gibbs didn't reply the teen sighed and continued. "The one where you tell me you trust me... or that you don't think I'm worthy of your trust."

"Ahh, that one." Gibbs said and just when Alex thought he'd give him a definite answer the older man jumped out of the car.

Alex sighed and refrained from slamming the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. Alex sighed again and climbed out of the car, resting his forearms against the roof of the vehicle he stared across at Gibbs. "You won't ever answer me... will you?"

"No," Gibbs started to say and Alex nodded. "I will eventually." Gibbs finished causing Alex to frown.

"Then why won't you answer now?" The disgruntled teenager asked rather angrily.

Gibbs stared into Alex's eyes. "Maybe it's because I still don't know you, Alex Rider." And with that Alex turned around and fled into his hotel.

Little did either man know but their entire conversation had been observed by Wolf, and it was his turn to frown deeply.

* * *

**Like I said at the beginning, really short chapter. **

**But hey, be grateful that I even managed to update! **

**I'll try to post again tomorrow but I'm not sure I'll pull it off. **

**You might be glade to know that I already have the first two chapters for the Alex Rider part of the sequel written and ready to go...**

**Oh, and I'd really appreciate it if at least one of you would go read my story CHICKEN. **

**I can't seem to figure out why no one will review... **

**No pressure...**

**Okay screw that, lot's of pressure. **


	45. Gibbs' Trust

**I totally love i... sorry for the irony of that sentence but you should be thanking him/her too because she/he gave me enough of an idea to continue on for what I think will be fifty chapters. **

**Now that I'm done gloating, I'll write another chapter...**

**

* * *

**

"That's not true. he does know me!" Alex grumbled as he threw all of his belongings into a single bag before tossing the bag to the floor next to his laptop.

"He's just scared to trust you and then have you leave him hanging." Wolf said as he appeared out of thin air.

Alex gave a single bark of laughter that didn't sound happy. "You make it sound like we're dating... and I assure you we're not... I'm not a redhead." Alex grinned at his inside joke.

"That," Wolf said sharply.

"That what?" Alex glanced up, confusion showing on his face.

"Show Mr. Gibbs that any he'll be able to answer your question." Wolf said slowly. "Show him that you know him and therefore he knows you too."

Alex rolled his shoulders. "I don't know..." And the teenager trailed off. "It's not like I really know any of them all that well..."

"Nonsense! What is the woman's favorite thing to wear when it's cold outside?"

"Wool shirts with a t-shirt under it. And I just, just... just know that because we talked about it once." Alex said lamely.

"And the dweebie man, when did he lose his virginity and what was her name?" Wolf continued.

Alex stared. "How did you know we'd talked about that?" He asked suspiciously.

"I didn't. I just guessed." Wolf said softly. "Alex, can't you see that you already have these peoples trust? Even if they aren't willing to admit it?" Wolf asked, searching Alex's face.

"I, that's not it at all. They just want to protect me because they were smart enough to figure out how old I am." Alex said gruffly and turned away, after that he was unwilling to discuss or listen to anything more on the subject.

Sighing, Wolf turned to leave and just as he had opened the door he turned around. "Cub, you will regret it if you don't get Gibbs to open up to you. It is something that will haunt you."

"How would you know?" Alex asked angrily as he crossed the hotel room to stand nose to nose with Wolf. "You're a soldier not a spy!" And with that the teen gave the older man a shove and slammed the door in his face.

"Poor kid." Wolf muttered as he walked away, out of the hotel and out of Alex's life... at least for now.

* * *

"Present time!" Alex declared as he entered the bullpen and casually started flinging packages at people with rather, scary precise, accuracy.

"Ooooh!" Abby exclaimed and ripped into hers. "I love it!" She shriek when the double sided swan was revealed.

"I thought you might." Alex grinned and gave the woman a peck on the cheek. "Got something for me?" He asked innocently.

"Yep!" Abby said and handed Alex a white bag.

"It's, it's, umm..." Alex turned over the bag. "A bag?" He asked finally.

"For all the stuff other people are going to give you! Look! I even got the whole team to sign it!" Abby exclaimed excitedly and flipped the gym bag upside down so that Alex could see the bottom.

Sure enough seven signatures:

_Keep up the good work. Leon Vance - Director of NCIS._

_Don't be afraid to fulfill your dreams and let the carry you where ever you want to go. Donald "Ducky" Mallard. _

I wish I'd had more time to tell you all, well all the stuff I wanted to tell you. James Palmer.

_Ziva David._

_I hope you get your blue Porsche. Tony DiNozzo._

_Thanks for putting up with us, especially Tony. Timothy McGee. _

_Don't forget to call. Gibbs._

Alex smiled as he finished reading all the comments. "Thanks, Abby. The other's will have a hard time competing with this." He said sincerely.

"Speaking of which, here." Ziva cut in and handed Alex a bundle wrapped in brown paper.

"Thanks!" Alex exclaimed when it was revealed that Ziva had given him a new pair of work out shorts and sweat pants.

"I would have given you a new shirt but I just thought about all the cutting you'd do to it and decided that it wasn't worth the money." Ziva teased.

Alex just grinned in response. "I'll just put my new gym clothes in my new gym bag, how's that sound?" He asked as he slowly began to fill the bag Abby had given him.

"Next?" McGee asked and was about to move forward and hand Alex his present when Tony beat him to it.

"Mine!" The man shouted and shoved a large, unwrapped book into Alex's hands.

Alex examined the book carefully and silently while Tony held his breath.

Finally, the teenager glanced up and grinned. "I love it. Thank you, Tony." He said quietly as he clutched his book about the history of Porsches in his hands.

"Thought you would!" Tony grinned back and then stuck his tongue out at Abby who just glare at him.

"My turn to give Alex a present!" McGee shouted at the same time Alex said. "Why doesn't someone else open a present. I feel guilty!"

Tony and Ziva made eye contact before leaping for their desks, wanting to be the first to open their presents from Alex.

"A wolf?" Tony asked as he examined the stone carving. "Nice!"

"Thank you, Max." Ziva said as she held her dolphin in one hand and patted Alex on the cheek with the other.

"I thought you might." Alex smiled brightly. "Will you open your present now, McGee?"

"Only if you promiser you'll open your present from me next." The man pouted as he ripped open his present to find a squirrel... "Well it's official, I now hate you more that I despise Tony." McGee said solemnly.

"No, no, no! Squirrels are really intelligent! That's why I got this for you!" Alex explained as he handed McGee the figurine he'd left sitting on Tony's desk.

"Oh, really?" McGee asked excitedly.

"Yep! So... do you like it?" Alex asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, I really do. Thanks, Max." McGee smiled as he took a seat behind his desk.

"Did you already give Palmer and Ducky there gifts?" Ziva asked as she too sat down.

"Yeah, the seemed to like them. Ducky gave me a book on extinct disease from history and Palmer gave me a gift certificate for Subway." Alex said and then grinned sheepishly. "I already used it."

Tony laughed loudly which caused Gibbs to magically appear at his desk.

"Yes?" He asked when Alex walked to hover over him.

"I got you a Christmas present." Alex said awkwardly and handed the man his package.

"Thanks. Here." Gibbs accepted the package without opening it before passing Alex a large envelope. You know, the kind you get in the mail that are that kind of ugly orange color.

"Thank you?" Alex asked as he stared down at it in confusion.

"Open it." Gibbs commanded and Alex nodded agreeably.

"Okay." The teenager pipped.

Alex slowly slid the paper out of its sheath and revealed the faces of several people he knew. "Wow." Alex whispered as he stared down at the drawing. "Did you do this?" He asked Gibbs, staring at the man in awe.

"No, it was a present given to me two Christmas' ago. I thought you'd like something to remember us by." And with that Gibbs turned away.

Alex smiled down at the paper and slowly turned it over for no other reason than human nature only to find a quick note scribbled on the back.

_I have faith in you, Alex. _

_Faith comes from trust. _

_You're the most trustworthy man I've ever met and I thought it was about time I let you know that I believe in you. _

_We'll all miss you here at NCIS. _

_Take care of yourself, kid. _

_Good luck. _

Alex slowly slid the sheet of paper back into the envelope and smiled. Now he could leave NCIS knowing that he'd done what he had set out to do.

"Mission accomplished." Alex whispered as he tucked the envelope in between the pager of the book Tony had given him.

Alex took one last look around before turning away and leaving the bullpen for the last time. Alex's gaze swept over the team and he smile just at the elevator closed.

"I'm going to miss you guys." He mumbled as the metal box slowly descended and he walked out of NCIS for the last time.

* * *

**Ta Da!**

**Don't worry, story isn't quite done yet. **

**Still got five more chapters to write. **

**Oh, and I don't know if anyone recognized the picture Gibbs gave Alex but it was the one from season six, Silent Night. **


	46. Not Impressed

**I've decided that I won't put out the first chapter for the Alex Rider part of this story until after it has received 200 review. (By 'it' I mean this story not the one I haven't updated yet.)**

**I know that sounds like a lot but I'm already at 125 and with five more chapters (not including this one) I think that 200 review is an okay number. **

**Don't care if you don't think that sounds good... unless... I do care! I care so much that you should tell me all about how stupid I am in a review because I don't have personal messaging (I'm not joking, I really don't). **

**Sound good? **

**Great!**

**Review!**

* * *

Alex entered his hotel room and dropped his bag on the bed.

A CIA agent Alex had never met before, never seen before, and never talked to frowned and reached out a hand, meaning to snatch the bag off the bed and discard it and its contents.

"Touch that and I'll ripe your hand off." Alex threatened cooly and calmly.

The agent sighed. "You know you can't bring that with you. Right?"

Instead of answering Alex asked a question of his own. "How long have you been waiting for me to get home from 'work'?"

"Ten minutes. I got a key from the desk. I was told that you were expecting me... What do you plan to do with that?" The man asked when Alex didn't show any signs of speaking.

"Put it in storage until I can go home." Alex said as he shucked his jacked and threw it one the chair the other man had just vacated. The teenager then tugged his shirt out of his waist band and made eye contact with the dark haired agent. "Who will I be and what will I look like?" He asked.

"Your name is changing, your appearance is not. Black hair and green eyes. You will have a Southern accent... I was told you can do that?" The man asked nervously, he hadn't been told where the man was from originally and so far 'Max Payton' had still been speaking in his untraceable drawl.

"Sure can," Alex replied in a thick Southern voice. "What's my name?" He repeated.

"Oh! Jim Saunders and if you want I was given another identity you can use as well... a Paul, um, Paul..." The young agent looked around desperately as if he could pull the alias' last name out of thin air.

"I don't care. I'll figure it out when I get the license with my name on it. How old am I?" When the agent gave him a blank look he added, "How old is Jim Saunders?" Alex asked irritably; he was so far not impressed by the man.

"What?" The CIA agent asked confused. "I don't understand..."

Alex sighed. "How old were you told I am?" He asked tolerantly.

"Twenty-nine... and you'll be playing the part of a twenty-six year old... think you can pull off being younger?" The agent teased, he himself was only twenty-three. By his standers Max Payton was old.

Alex scoffed. "Kid, I don't have to pull it off."

The agent frowned but otherwise didn't say anything. "I've already got your new belongings in another room, 205, so that there is no transfer... you'll have to come with me and leave everything from this alias behind.

Alex nodded. "I'll be right back." And before the young agent could stop him Alex was out the hotel door and down the hall straight into the closing elevator.

"Well, he's awful." The man gave one last sweep of the room, realizing the the only thing left was Alex's shed suit jacket and his laptop. The white gym bag was gone. "I don't approve, but he does had clearance to bring this along." The young man muttered under his breath as he scooped up the computer and tossed the jacket into the garbage. Giving the room on last look over he exited, kicking the door shut behind him.

* * *

As soon as he was out of the hotel Alex flagged a cab and had the driver head for the one place Alex knew his treasures would be safe until he could come back and pick them up.

Alex headed to Gibbs house.

The teenager climbed out and headed inside and into the spare bedroom that never got used. Alex quickly emptied the bag and then refilled it with every thing. "Screw the rules. I've been in this business long enough to keep others out of my personal belongings!" Alex said angrily and stormed back out of the house and hopped back into the waiting cab.

Everything would have been fine if Alex hadn't accidentally slid one of the floor rugs across the kitchen floor.

* * *

Gibbs entered his home hours later, his heart heavy, he knew it was unlikely he'd ever speak to Alex Rider again let alone see him. The man sighed and kicked off his shoes before heading to the kitchen to grab his favorite coffee cup that he'd left sitting in the sink.

_That's not right..._ Gibbs thought to himself as he spotted the rug Alex had kicked on accident. _Alex... _Gibbs knew instinctively who had been in his kitchen.

Gibbs' heart felt a little bit lighter as he moved the rug back to its spot. "I'm really going to miss the kid." Gibbs said with a wide smile, deciding that it was better not to know what Alex had been doing in his house.

_

* * *

_

**Shorter but at least I got another chapter out! **

**Second week of school is drawing to a close which means that things are finally starting to cool off so I think I'll have more time to write...**

**Aka, I'll hopefully be able to update every day. **


	47. Black Mercedes

**Got a chapter out today. **

**I'm telling you right now, I doubt I'll be able to get one out tomorrow so just giving you the heads up so that you don't get your hopes up. **

**Here's the promised chapter!**

* * *

Alex entered room 205 and immediately ran into the pacing figure of the young CIA agent.

"What are you doing with that bag? I thought you were getting rid of it... aka, hiding it somewhere so you didn't have to bring it with because you're not allowed to bring anything not authorized with you!"

Alex watched as the young man screamed and ranted and otherwise blew his top off before calmly answering. "Yeah, well I'm tired of following stupid orders so that bag stays with me. You can either A) accept it and tell you boss, B) accept it and tell no one, or C) don't accept it and I leave your pretty little country without doing the mission. Is that understood?"

The man paled, he obviously knew how important the mission was, that Alex was undertaking and he clearly had been told that under not uncertain terms Alex had better be kept happy in order to get him to do the mission.

"I'm sorry. I believe that you are indeed allowed a single item as long as you make sure that your mission isn't compromised because of it." The man's voice was pinched and crisp but Alex admired the strength it took for the young to concede nonetheless.

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other." Alex grinned and walked over to the bed to find his laptop waiting next to a bag full of clothes.

"These are your clothes for the mission and here is your wallet." The CIA agent handed Alex a seemingly well used leather wallet the Alex didn't even bother to flip open because he figure he already knew the contents: cash -and lots of it- a driver's license and most likely a gym membership under is new alias, and pocket litter like receipts for pop, candy, and magazines all purchased from various gas stations all across the country.

"Cool. If you don't mind, I think I'll change now." Alex replied as he scooped up a pair of jeans and a grey sweatshirt. "Princeton?" Alex asked as he glanced up, still using his Southern accent.

"Yes, you have to choose between IT tech, Princeton, and Yale. Which one do you want?" The young man asked sullenly.

"All three. It will confuse anyone who goes through my bags even more than I will." Alex replied and disappeared into the bathroom with his new change of clothes.

"Really hate that man." Grumbled the CIA man as he took a seat facing the door with his back to the bathroom.

"I don't like you much either." Alex whispered into the man's ear, causing him to jump out of his chair and spin around wildly only to find that Alex had once again slipped into the privacy of the bathroom.

"Ahg!" The man wailed and kicked the couch.

Alex laughed from the bathroom as he pulled off is clothes and yanked the new ones on. What? Don't like hotel furniture?" Alex teased as he exited the bathroom and tossed his old clothes at the man.

The CIA agent gathered the clothes and stuffed them in a bag that would soon be burnt. "It you don't mind, I'm suppose to check you for bugs."

"I assure you I don't have lice." Alex replied just because he knew it would infuriate the other man.

"I assure you I don't have lice!" The man mimicked under his breath as he ran a small metal detector looking device over Alex. "You're clean."

"Thank you, I showered just this morning." Alex grinned and gathered his belongings. "What kind of car do I get?"

This was the moment the CIA man had been dreading. "A Mercedes." He had to bit his tongue in order not to say more.

"Hmm, would have been better if it had been a Porsche." Alex said as he gathered everything he was taking with him and snatched the keys out of the other man's hands. "Hope I don't see you around!" Alex smiled and disappeared out the hotel door before catching the elevator and leaving the hotel for the last time.

Alex only had to take a few steps before he came face to face with his new, shiny black toy and popped open the trunk with a single push of a button on the key ring.

"Cool. I could get use to this." Alex muttered as he dumped all but his white gym bag and laptop into the open trunk. The bag and the computer Alex kept within arms length of himself so that if he needed to make a quick get away he would be able to grab what was important to him and run.

* * *

Wolf was already back on a plane heading home to England when he got a message from MI6 saying that Alex was on his way to step two of his mission.

"Good for Cub." Wolf muttered as he accepted a drink from a pretty flight attendant. "Thank you, miss."

"You're welcome, Mr..." The young woman trailed off.

"James Corbin." Wolf replied and smiled.

"Jessica Bloomwood." The woman added and smiled back.

Little did Wolf know, but he had just met the future mother of his children.

* * *

**It the Wolf clip was confusing, sorry.**

**It was more or less just a way to write him off/out of my stories.**


	48. Missing Max

**Just letting you know right now this chapter was sort of boring to write so it might be a little bit boring to read.**

**Just a quick heads up.**

**'Kay, now that that's over...**

* * *

The next few days went by uneventfully for the NCIS team... they had a case... they missed Max... they solved a case... the missed Max... Tony and Ziva continued to see each other... everyone missed Max...

"I miss Max." Tony said as he trailed his fingers through Ziva's hair as she lay across his chest late one night.

"Me too." The woman admitted quietly before bursting out into loud laughter.

"What?" Tony asked, tilting his head up so he could see her face.

"I never thought I would ever say those words!" Ziva exclaimed and chucked before signing and drawing the blanket more securely around her bare shoulders. "I miss Max!" She clarified.

"Oh... yeah, ha!" Tony said slowly. "I don't think anyone thought you'd come to like him, let alone miss him once he left, after what happened between you two on the shooting range... and at Gibbs' house... and down in the gym..."

"I get the point!" Ziva shouted and thumped Tony roughly on the chest.

Tony just laughed in response before his laughter slowly died away. "I can't believe he just up and left the way he did..." The man whispered, oddly hurt by the boy's actions... or rather, lack of them.

"I know, it was rather out of character for him." Ziva replied sadly. "At least the character I thought he had."

"I bet he got another assignment." Tony concluded after a long moment of silence.

Ziva nodded, not really believing it though. "I bet you're right."

"I don't think he even wanted to leave! I bet he was forced to go! I'll bet he was given no alternatives!" Tony declared as he softly shoved Ziva off his chest and rolled onto his side before drawing her close once more.

Ziva responded to this treatment by threading an arm around Tony's waist and wiggling around to curve against him. "Don't say that, it makes me sad." She whispered as her eyes closed and she relaxed.

"Oh, I guess..." Tony muttered unhappily and he too closed his eyes and slowly relaxed.

Not long later both NCIS agents were fast asleep.

* * *

The next morning McGee entered the bullpen only to have to run to Gibbs' desk to answer the ringing phone. "Gibbs' desk, McGee speaking." He said and rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand.

"Hey, McGee, can you do something for me?" A Southern accented voice asked rapidly.

"Max?" McGee's stunned response came and he stood bold upright. "Is that you?"

"Sure is," Max confirmed. "Can you run a phone number for me?" He asked his favor.

"Um, yeah..." McGee trailed off as he stared up the program he needed. "Okay, shoot." His immediate response and willingness to help Max only showed how much he like and trusted the teenager.

Max quickly rattled off several digits before falling silent.

"There is no known number with that exact combination... sorry, Max." McGee said hesitantly after a few seconds. "Maybe your numbers were out of order?" McGee offered.

The teenager swore up a stream with his new accent making it sound comical before he paused and said, "It's not your fault. And no, the numbers were in the right order. My handler just doesn't want me to be able to call in and get pulled out of the mission I'm currently involved in."

"Tell me where you are and I'll have someone there in a few minutes." McGee replied instantly.

"No, it's fine. I'm not in danger. I haven't even left the country, which is a first. I just like to be able to call in every now and again. It was nice talking to you, McGee. Oh, and feel free to share the number I called you using with the team but make sure that they know that they can only call me if it's really important." And with that Max's end of the phone clicked off.

McGee stood frozen over Gibbs' desk until Tony and Ziva entered the bullpen ten minutes later.

"What's up with you?" Tony asked.

Ziva frowned in puzzlement.

"Max just called..." McGee said, still stunned by the news himself. "He gave us a number to call him at if we needed to say something really important."

"What!" Four voices demanded simultaneously before they all continued to talk over one another.

"What?" The Director of NCIS repeated as Gibbs approached the still frozen McGee.

"What was the number? Which phone did he call?" Gibbs asked.

"Is he alright? How'd he sound?" Tony shouted.

"He's not in any danger, is he?" Ziva jumped in.

"Quiet!" Abby screamed and shoved her way over to McGee. "Is Max alright?"

"He says so." McGee replied after Abby smacked him.

"How did he sound?" Abby continued.

"F-fine." McGee stammered.

"What was the number he said we could reach him at?" Gibbs asked again.

"He didn't specifically say, but he called your phone so we can pull up the number. Although I highly doubt we'll be able to trace it." McGee murmured as he considered this.

"Right." All four voices said at the same time.

"Right!" Abby shrieked a moment later.

* * *

**Once again, it was kind of short. **

**But hey, at least I got a chapter out today. **

**That's more than I could say yesterday, right?**

**Don't answer that...**


	49. Bonehead Move

**Sorry I haven't updated in the last few days, I came down with something and wasn't on the computer.**

**Alrighty then, here's the next chapter for all of you how have been waiting so anxiously for it.**

* * *

Alex calmly drew the phone he'd been given by the CIA away from his ear before glancing down to hit the end button with the short nail of his thumb. The teenager then glanced up and let out a loud, infuriated roar before he slammed the phone down with tremendous force on a nearby table. Moments later Alex picked up the tracker he'd found "cleverly" hidden under the hood of his car. Alex grinned evilly and picked up the small black device, he headed out the door of his hotel room and down the stairs into a large room where he looked around before smiling broadly again.

Alex dropped the tracker into the empty jacuzzi and turned reached out to hit a labeled button that turned the bubbles on. "Now if only I could find something to throw..." Alex murmured as he slowly spun and his eyes searching every inch of the otherwise uninhabited room. "Nothing. I guess I'll just have to do something worse." Alex smiled sweetly up into the camera before he exited the hotel pool room and headed for the lobby.

* * *

"Man down! I repeat! Man down!" A young security agent assigned to Alex screamed into his Coms unit. "The tracker attached to his car is completely submerged in high temperature water! I repeat-"

"Stop repeating everything! If I need you to say something again I'll tell you." A voice from behind the young agent scolded as the man entered the trailer and crossed to peered over the rookie's shoulder. "Pull up hotel footage, pool room. I won't repeat that order, Cook." The man instructed and the sweating agent called Cook complied instantly with shaking fingers.

"I'll be damned!" The Cook exclaimed and fell against the back of his chair as Alex grinned up into the camera. "What caused him to do that?" Cook was dreadfully confused about the events that had just occurred.

"He just figured out the number I gave him was a fake." Another young agent, the one who'd originally met Alex, said as he flipped slowly through a thick magazine on hunting. The man was totally undisturbed about the fact that he had sent Alex in on his own, completely cut off from backup or any help he could ever need from the CIA.

The oldest man of the three straighten and turned slowly to face the second rookie who'd just spoken. "What prompted you to pull such a BONEHEAD MOVE!" The oldest man's voice rose until he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I thought the little prick deserved it. Why does it even matter? He had it coming to him for the way he treated me!" The young agent answered, doing a little shouting of his own. "It's not like he's young enough to need to check in with mommy every six hours."

The older agent gave him a look that said 'you couldn't be more wrong' before turning his back on the rookie in disgust. "Call the hotel and have them give him our number." The non-rookie of the team ordered Cook quietly.

"Right away, Pat." Cook replied curtly, understanding the 'Pat' was not happy with the other agent's behavior. "Who do I say it's from?" Cook asked.

"The boss of the jackass who should have given it to him." Pat answered seriously as he glared at the man who was now gripping his magazine tightly as if planing on using it as a weapon.

"Got it." Cook said slowly as he dialed. "Hello, yes, room number..."

* * *

"Sir! Sir! You have a message!" A young African-American woman called from behind the front desk as Alex walked by.

"Okay." Alex said as he neared the desk and leaned over to rest his forearms against the smooth surface. "What is it?"

"Um, here," The woman cleared her throat self consciously. "You can read the exact words for yourself." The young woman said as she handed Alex a slip of paper.

"Ha! How funny!" Alex exclaimed as he scanned Pat's message before committing the number to memory and crinkling the paper into a small wad and stuffing it in his pocket to dispose of later. "Thanks, Darlene." Alex said as he read off the woman's name tag.

"Any time Mr. Crant." The woman batted her eyelashes at Alex.

"Please, call me Paul." Alex said as he dropped a tip on the desk and sauntered casually away, hiding all traces of the anger the was steaming inside of him.

"Have a nice day!" Darlene called after Alex, maybe a little to desperately for his taste.

Alex merely raised his hand in acknowledgment as he continued towards the stairs located on the other end of the lobby.

"Looking for a new boyfriend already?" Another female clerk asked Darlene as the woman continued to stare after Alex.

"You know it!" Darlene answered perkily as if her trance had just been broken. "Dark hair and green eyes! So my type." Her emphasize on the word 'so' was a little to much for the other clerk to handle.

* * *

**Hey, I've decided to down play how many reviews are going to be needed for me to put out the sequel because if I don't I'm afraid I'll never get enough reviews.**

**So, this story only needs 175 REVIEWS to have the sequel published.**

**Review to get more!**


	50. New Year

**Final Chapter!**

**Bum... Bum... Bah...**

**I had this written last night but I decided to be a little mean and wait until today to post it... just to be mean!**

**I'll post the title of the sequel in the author's note (the one I already told you would be "Chapter Fifty-one") and then I'll post the actual story at some point or another afterwards.**

**Here's the chapter you've either been waiting ages for or have been hoping would never come...**

**Final Chapter!**

* * *

Gibbs entered his large, empty house after a long day of work, utterly exhausted both mentally and physically.

"It sucks to get old!" Gibbs grumbled as he slowly climbed up the steep stairs inside his home. "Not that I would know..." The denial strong in the aging man's voice despite his earlier declaration.

Gibbs quickly showered and fell face first into his bed, asleep almost before his head hit the single pillow. He only just remembered to turn off the alarm on his bed side clock so that he wouldn't be woken up quite as early as he would normally for work.

* * *

Tony entered his slightly less messy apartment backwards with Ziva clinging to his neck tighter than a leach. "I'm so glad tomorrow is a Saturday." Tony whispered into Ziva's ear before she shoved him none to gently to the cotton bed spread covered with the image of dozens of baseballs.

"No work! All play..." Ziva purred seductively as she crept towards Tony, her eyes dancing in the dim light.

"That sounds nice... very, very nice." Tony whispered as he flicked the light off, plunging both man and woman into total darkness.

* * *

McGee entered his girlfriend's apartment and promptly ran into several things making a lot of noise, he hadn't turned the light on because he didn't want to wake her up. Unfortunately for McGee, loud crashes and curses tent to wake even the most heavy of sleepers.

"Tim?" Called a soft voice from the other room before it was followed by a tiny brunette.

"Sorry, Amy. I was trying not to wake you." McGee said bashfully as he bent to kiss he girlfriend.

"It's okay, I'll always forgo sleep to spend time with you." The young woman said sleepily as McGee guided her back to sleep and tucked her in.

"Right, and that's why you're already asleep." McGee teased even though the person he was speaking to was fast asleep.

* * *

Leon Vance was one of the last to leave NCIS. It was incredibly late and Leon was kicking himself for having to wake his wife up when he got home.

The man unlocked the back door then entered his house. He then re-locked the door and went to the front door to check and make sure it was locked as well. Leon then kicked off his shoes and headed for his bedroom, already preparing for his wife's awakening."Ah!" Leon grunted as he was unable get his tie off.

"Leon?" A woman's voice asked.

"Yes, darling?" Leon replied softly as he finally loosened the red fabric.

"Just checking to make sure it was you." Leon's wife said sleepily and rolled over.

"I love you too." Leon teased as he slid into bed beside his sleeping wife.

* * *

Alex drove.

He flicked on his right blinker and then turned it off again after sliding into a different lane to avoid a slow moving car.

An hour of so later Alex hit the brake pedal to avoid killing a skunk. "That would have smelled bad in the morning." Alex grumbled as he lifted his foot from the brake and jammed it down hard on the gas pedal.

Alex drove some more until his glanced to the right and saw a sign out of the corner of his eyes that read "You are now entering Virginia!"

The teenager smirked and pulled into a rest stop before jumping out to go to the well lit bathroom. Minutes later Alex returned to his car and carefully dozed off in the driver's seat of the Mercedes.

"Damn I love this car." Alex moaned as the heated seat kept him warm despite the early morning New Year weather. "Still wish it were a Porsche." Alex grumbled one last time before sleep over came him, and like the past few weeks, his nightmares didn't come. It really seemed like he'd been cured of the awful things that had once plagued his head during his sleep.

* * *

Gibbs woke early and went for a brisk run, it felt good to loosen his muscles before eating a big bowl of oatmeal.

The silver hair man left the warm interior of his house and went to sit on his freezing cold porch, watching to world go by as he relaxed on his Saturday morning.

"Ahh," Gibbs sighed and set his now empty bowl down on the porch railing.

Resting his hands behind his head Gibbs slowly dozed off despite the frigid temperature.

* * *

Ziva awoke and carefully sensed her surroundings. Not detecting any danger the woman opened her eyes slowly and came face to face with Tony's bare shoulder. Ziva smirked and leaned forward to plant a kiss gently against the smooth skin of her male companion.

"Hmm, that tickles! Stop it!" Tony murmured without any force at all. Eyes still closed he rolled over so that Ziva could kiss his jaw instead of the ticklish spot that had just been in her reach.

"You need to shave. You're all scratched." Ziva commented softly before both she and Tony lapsed back into a calm slumber.

* * *

Amy yawned and stretched before curling back into McGee's side, still more asleep than awake.

McGee smiled down at her from his position; he was propped up with his back against the wooden head board, a soft light on so that he could read the book he always left beside the bed.

"You already up?" Amy asked a few minutes later when she came further too.

"Yep," McGee replied as Amy turned to lay on her stomach, burying her face into the pillow.

"Well I'm not." And the tiny woman proceeded to pretend she was asleep.

"Of course not, honey." McGee replied tolerantly as he ran a hand down her exposed, bare back.

"But if you keep doing that I might wake up." Amy continued as McGee stroked her skin with his thumb.

"That sounds like fun." McGee commented and set his book down. "Let's see what happens!" He declared playfully.

* * *

Leon rolled over and continued to snore. Half and hour later his youngest entered the room and climbed into bed, snuggling against Leon's legs.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Leon asked as he tucked his child under the quilt.

"I'm not up. I'm sleeping with you." The child replied innocently, a few moments later Leon could tell he was once again the only one awake.

"Ahh, the joys of having children." Leon sighed and patted the sleeping child on the head before sleep over came him once more.

* * *

Alex opened his eyes and started the car.

"Only a few more hours of driving." He muttered and got back onto the road for a long morning. "Can't wait to get there." Alex added as he kept an eye out for signs advertising restaurants of any kind, fast food or otherwise. "Need. Caff. Eine." The teenager muttered as he tore into a package of beef jerky. "Need. Food." Alex sounded strangely like a cave man as he continued to talk to himself.

Half an hour later Alex had gone through the drive through of a coffee joint, a steaming cup of Java now rested in his hand.

"Got to love American's and their coffee." He said satisfied and continued to drive towards his destination, the rising sun at his back.

* * *

**How was it?**

**Even I didn't like the amount of breaks in this chapter but it just fit the way I wanted it to so I did it even though it doesn't look all that pretty. **

**No complaining!**

**I don't want to hear about it! **

**Hope you enjoyed my ALEX RIDER/NCIS CROSSOVER...**


	51. The Sequel

**SEQUAL HAS BEEN POSTED!**

**READ**  
**READ**  
**READ**  
**Oh, and REVIEW! **

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* * *

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**First, a quick "THANK YOU" to anyone who has ever posted a review for this story (anonymous or otherwise).**

**Especially to all the people who reviewed for like every chapter.**

**That was so awesome!**

**I won't take the time to list all of those people (there were so many that I don't want to leave someone out and then make them or me feel bad) but you know who you are and you totally rock!**

**Thank you!**

**Again.**

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* * *

**

**Okay... the moment you've all been waiting for!**

**The title of the Alex Rider part of the sequel is AM I Still Me?**

**How's it sound?**

**It is a crossover between a series of books called Gallagher Girls and Alex Rider, or course.**

**If you have not read or even heard of the Gallagher Girl books that's fine, I haven't read them either. (I explain this fact in the summery of the new story.)**

**Read the first chapter at least because that's where the summery is, and you should be able to follow along with relative ease, I think.**

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**Now I ask for any questions anyone might have and I'll just update this "chater" with the answers.**

**Cool?**

**Great.**

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**Finally, a trivia question:**

_**What was a constant between all the chapters from this story?**_


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